Replies to post #5171 on Sector Investing

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Determining long term market tops and bottoms for the SOX:

Cross Overs of the 50 day sma on the SOX along with the number of stocks above the 200 and 50 day sma's of the NASDAQ which are overbought above the top (red) horizontal line and oversold below the lower (green) horizontal line. The horizontal line placement was picked by me somewhat arbitrarily but the point being made is a simple bit of contrarian logic; when too many stocks are above the 200 and 50 day sma's a reversal is in order. By watching for the cross overs in the 50 day sma above or below the longer term 200 day sma we can predict long term moves in the SOX higher or lower as well which may not correct until extremes are reached as shown by the horizontal lines on all the many charts below:









BPNDX and VXO vs the SOX. Sell zones are seen above or below the red lines depending on the chart. The VXO is a volatility index based on the S&P 100. It moves opposite to the SOX and is most useful at extreme reading to help denote enough "fear" in the market for a long term bottom to form. The BPNDX is based on the number of NASDAQ 100 stocks that have generated or lost PnF buy signals. Look for trend reversals to develop over time. It's not the absolute high or low that is important but rather the development of positive or negative divergences. For instance in October 2002 the BPNDX developed a positive divergence by setting a higher low even as the SOX was setting a lower low.





Market breadth indicators. Sell zones are seen above, or below, the red lines depending on the chart. Long term buy zones are shown above, or below, the green horizontal lines depending on the chart.

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TWAV getting oversold on the daily and even the weekly. How low does she go? Book value is only .87 but the company has zero debt now. Previous long term low all the way down at .32.

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Technical Analysis: Dojis, Dojis Everywhere
By Paul Shread

If stocks want to bounce, they have a good setup for it. The indexes all formed "dojis" today, or unchanged candlesticks reflecting indecision, and fear continues to run high among options traders, although with tomorrow an options expiry day, today's high reading isn't as meaningful as other recent ones. The Nasdaq (first chart below) continues to cling to its January low of 2008. If that goes, 1993-2000 is possible support, and 2023 and 2033 are the levels to beat on the upside. The S&P (second chart) is holding 1185 support, with 1175-1178 below that. Resistance is 1194 and 1203. The Dow (third chart) faces resistance at 10,673 and 10,750, and support is 10,600-10,612 and 10,500-10,550.

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Is anyone else looking at some of the indicators I follow like the put to call ratio? Don't be confused by the fact that the numbers are not accurate intra-day. The put to call ratio is trending quite high and with actual numbers at 1.38 as of the last reading today there is a good chance that a lot of put buyers will end up getting burnt. Make no mistake I think the market remains largely overvalued but when too many people are weighing in with the same actions like buying tons of puts they usually end up getting burnt. Also page down to the Advance/Decline ratios. Very low now.

Some intermediate term indicators that are highly effective for market timing the SMH based on using the NASDAQ New Highs and similar indexes are shown here. To go long: First wait for the NASDAQ New Highs to set a new low and reverse itself from an approach of the lower Bollinger Band. To go short: Wait for the NASDAQ new highs and other similar new high indices to set a new high print at, near, or above the upper Bollinger Band. I am also now using the NASDAQ McClellan Oscillator (Ratio Adjusted) ($NAMO) to confirm the above - Overbought above 25 - Oversold below -25. These charts do not update until after market close.





Short Term Indicators vs. the SMH; any index can be used - The first set of short term indicators I use are based on the put to call ratio. To go long it is best to wait for the put to call ratio to close over 1.0. On the chart below the put to call ratio now updates intraday but it is not always accurate! Intraday reading of the put to call ratio can be found here updated every half hour after the open:

http://www.cboe.com/data/IntraDayVol.aspx

The more days in a row the put to call ratio prints over 1.0 this the more likely the bottom will be a strong one. The link above shows intraday readings of the P/C ratio.

Also closes on the put to call ratio below 0.50 and sometimes a bit above are indicative of a short term top. Watch the simple moving averages as well because periods of too much buying of puts or calls will almost certainly bring about market bottoms and tops respectively. On the CPC/VIX ratio; this is largely a longer term indicator where investors are likely to make more money on the long side once the short-term 21 day sma has crossed above the 200 day sma. The reverse is true as well. An investor will likely make more money on the short side when the 21 day sma crosses below the 200 day sma:





Next I use the VIX and VXO can help to refine decision making on tops and bottoms upon reverses from upper or lower Bollinger Bands especially when the index stretches more than 10% above or below its 10 day simple moving average.







Also TRIN and TRINQ readings on the 5 and 10 day simple moving averages over 1.5 are bullish while readings below 0.85 are bearish. These readings don't happen often especially with the 10 day sma. They are also early indicators so the market can continue higher or lower for a while but they are reliable for indicating market turns that are about to take place.





Adv/Dec ratio overbought above 1.25. Oversold below 0.75 on the 10 day SMA's:

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CAMD Charts - Headed for a double bottom at 5.02 or perhaps the low 2's or even the all time low at 1.50:





California Micro Devices (CAMD:Nasdaq - commentary - research) previewed a weaker-than-expected fourth quarter Thursday, saying it expects to report a loss of 4 cents to 6 cents a share on revenue of $13.8 million to $14.5 million. Analysts surveyed by Thomson First Call had been forecasting earnings of 4 cents a share on sales of $15.2 million. The company said the loss will reflect a plant-closing charge of $300,000 and an inventory reserve of $600,000. California Micro also cited weaker demand for mobile products.

http://www.thestreet.com/_yahoo/markets/stocksinmotion/10213800.html?cm_ven=YAHOO&cm_cat=FREE&am....

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From Briefing.com: 4:16PM Weekly Wrap: It was a difficult week for the stock market. Not only were the indices down, but the focus has shifted to the negatives.

The week began on an up note. Monday brought the typical merger announcements. This time, the big one was the IBM acquisition of Ascential Software. The market also got a late boost from an announcement by Genentech that a cancer drug showed some good results. It was surprising that a biotech company would provide broad support to the market, but that simply reflected thin conditions and a market looking for anything to provide direction.

From there, it was all downhill. The market dropped sharply on Tuesday rising oil prices. That proved to be a theme all week. Oil ended last week at $54.43 a barrel and this week at $56.72. That was despite an announcement by OPEC that it would raise production limits by 500,000 barrels a day.

On Wednesday, the bad news came from General Motors. Despite strong demand and high production, the company said it would report a huge first quarter loss. Global competition is continuing to pressure prices. GM's debt rating was put on review by the major agencies for a possible downgrade.

The market was mixed on Thursday and Friday, but the tone was clearly cautious.

There were very few earnings reports of note this past week. Adobe had a good report, as did brokerage firms Goldman Sachs, Bear Stearns, and Morgan Stanley. But those companies don't have broad implications for the market. There were also surprisingly few earnings warnings this week, even considering the GM warning.

There were also not many economic reports of note, but overall they reflected a strong economy. February retail sales showed good growth, and industrial production was up a steady 0.3%. Housing starts were up strongly for February. None of this data, however, had much impact. The stock market is aware that economic growth is very strong, and it is expected to stay that way.

Next week brings greater risks on the economic calendar. PPI is due on Tuesday, and CPI on Wednesday. Any sign of unexpected inflation could roil the markets. The earnings calendar is also very light, with Oracle's earnings on Tuesday the clear highlight.

There is a Federal Reserve FOMC meeting on Tuesday. The market is expected yet another 1/4% hike in the fed funds rate target. The Fed has raised rates at each of the past six meetings, and almost every time the stock market went up that day. So, that is not necessarily a worrisome event, but the backdrop of rising rates is a concern. Over the past week, the yield on the 10-year note fell from 4.53% to 4.51% but that hardly alleviated concerns about rising rates.

The stock market is languishing and it is not clear what would provide a bullish catalyst. Underlying concerns about inflation, interest rates and oil prices are dragging on the market, while there is concern that earnings growth is slowing down and the higher interest rates will eventually slow down the booming economy.

The tone is apprehensive and fragile to any bad news on the inflation front.

 
 Index      Started Week Ended Week  Change %Change  YTD  
 DJIA         10774.36    10629.67  -144.69  -1.3%  -1.4 %  
 Nasdaq        2041.60     2007.79   -33.81  -1.7%  -7.7 %  
 S&P 500       1200.08     1189.64   -10.44  -0.9%  -1.8 %  
 Russell 2000   626.84      622.55    -4.29  -0.7%  -4.5 %

6:34PM Swing Trader: Time for a Bounce? : -- Technical -- Markets opened relatively flat Friday morning and quickly extended its 2-week downtrend under its February lows. A rebalancing of some S&P 500 stocks mixed with triple witching expiration caused plenty of volatilty intraday and an slight upward bias headed into the close...(continued)

3:09PM Treasury Market Off on Light Trade : Treasuries headed lower and stayed there throughout the session, carving out less than 3 basis point ranges across the curve. The trade was thin and spotty for a number of reasons including the upcoming FOMC rate decision (up 25 bps, "measured" or not), a run of potentially inflationary economic data, quarter and week end activity and profit-taking (and, yes, basketball). The day's reports weighed on trade and the smack down that emanated out of GM filtered back out. Oil slipped from the highs and the dollar was generally better. Curve trading was reined in as well, with yield-spreads between maturities trading tight. BNP Paribas saying the curve has been a random trade this week and believes the longer-term charts still point to higher yields but this event is unlikely to occur before next weeks FOMC meeting and the release of the next round of price data. Tuesday, Mar 22 is shaping up to be a big day, Feb producer price index at 8:30ET and a Fed rate decision expected at 14:15ET. The market will be carefully examining the statement accompanied with the expected rate hike (please see 11:41 ET and 12:29 ET comment for more). An above consensus read in PPI may only provide limited selling power as the market will likely not jump to any inflation conclusions until CPI reads on Wed. Important housing data, durable goods, consumer confidence and Q4 GDP also add to the week's data load. The 10-yrs are currently -10/32nds yielding 4.505%.

2:40PM Point Gainers List : Issues posting the largest gains on a point basis: ADBE +4.30, ASCA +3.80, VPI +3.31, MSTR +3.17, CTMI +2.80, KWK +2.52, SCHL +2.41, JBL +2.20, CCJ +2.31, MOVI +2.08, ELOS +1.97, NBIX +1.77, NIHD +1.71, EOG +1.67, CEDC +1.57, NBR +1.40, COP +1.40, MACR +1.35, KBH +1.29, XOM +1.24.

2:22PM Point Losers List : Issues pacing the way on the downside on a point basis include: DRL -5.90, LFG -5.11, GSOL -3.26, PHS -3.23, STC -3.23, FAF -3.06, RSH -3.05, CMTL -3.04, FNF -2.84, DRIV -2.34, HANS -2.29, TSRA -2.29, PLMO -2.22, PCU -2.13, AET -2.11, MDTL -2.03, CAMD -2.01, AHM -1.94, HUM -1.70, JWN -1.69, UPS -1.63, AIG -1.63, UPS -1.62, PLCE -1.58, NAV -1.50.

7:47AM Diana Shipping prices 12.37 mln share IPO at $17.00, the high end of the $15-17 range (DSX) 17.00: Diana Shipping prices its IPO at $17.00, vs the expected range of $15-$17. The co is an operator of dry bulk carriers that transport iron ore, coal, grain and other dry cargoes along worldwide shipping routes. Its fleet consists of seven modern Panamax dry bulk carriers. The co has entered into newbuilding contracts with a Chinese shipyard for the construction of two additional Panamax dry bulk carriers and it has agreed to purchase a secondhand Capesize dry bulk carrier. The first new Panamax dry bulk carrier and the secondhand Capesize dry bulk carrier were delivered last month.... Briefing.com Note: There have been a number of cargo ship cos coming public, striking while the iron is hot as the sector has been a strong performer driven by high coal, iron ore and oil prices. Recent cargo IPOs have performed well: Arlington Tankers (ATB 24.11), Top Tankers (TOPT 18.86), US Shipping (USS 26.06) and DryShips (DRYS 20.51) are up 21%, 71%, 17% and 14%, respectively, from their $20, $11, $22.25 and $18 offering prices. This is a 12.37 mln share deal led by Bear Stearns.

4:06PM NIKE Inc. (NKE) 85.84 -0.99: He certainly has big shoes to fill...that is Nike's new CEO William Perez who has been at the helm of athletic shoe and clothing company for eight weeks. The former CEO of S.C. Johnson & Son replaces Phil Knight who started the company by selling shoes out of the trunk of his car turning Nike into a premier worldwide brand. The company reported its Q3 earnings topping consensus estimates for the seventh straight quarter.

Earnings were $1.01 per share up from $0.74 per last with revenues increasing 14% y/y to $3.31 bln - the sixth consecutive quarter of double-digit gains. The top line was improved by 3% in currency gains. Nike enjoyed broad-based growth across all geographies, categories, and brands.

Nike reported worldwide future orders for footwear and apparel scheduled for delivery from 3/05 to 7/05 increased 9.6% y/y to $5.2 bln. Sales by region: US +9%, Europe +7%, Asia Pacific +14%, and Americas +22%. This is evidence of the company's global brand strength and strong order momentum. Currency does and will continue to contribute to Nike's top line growth as the greenback remains on its downward trajectory.

The upside in revenues came from strong growth in Asia and EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Africa) both up 18% to $472.8 mln and $1 bln, respectively. Sales in China more than doubled for the quarter, while the Americas gained 10%. Nike did experience some weakness in Japan and Germany due to increasing competition from Adidas along with France. Although its core brand Nike still enjoys the strongest growth, other brands are also performing well. This category, which includes Converse, Starter, Nike Golf, Bauer, and Cole Haan grew an impressive 20% to $389.6 mln. Gross margins widened by 2 points to 44.1% due in part to currency gains. SG&A expenses rose over a point to 31.3% of sales. Nike also benefited from a lower tax rate for the quarter of 33.9%.

Nike remains one of the premier brand names in the world. This was an impressive quarter as Nike was able to drive growth across a broad array of categories, from apparel to the new Shox sneakers, across all geographies. Weighing the robust order momentum, continued product innovation, strong fundamentals, and brand strength, the risk is to the upside going forward. The upside beat in earnings is also like to spark positive revisions from the Street. Shares are trading at 19.4x forward earnings a discount to its 5-year historical average of 21x. This is compared to 13.2x for its closest competitor, Reebok (RBK), which has less than half its market share.---Kimberly DuBord, Briefing.com

1:52PM DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc. (DWA) 39.10 +0.75: Never has there been a more successful green, lovable ogre with a severe ear wax problem than DreamWorks' Shrek. The hero of Far Far Away should receive a significant signing bonus for "Shrek 3," as the second installment of this tale generated the bulk of DreamWorks Animation's revenues in Q4. The creator of computer generated (CG) feature films reported pro-forma earnings of $1.61 per share - topping consensus estimates by $0.08. Revenues soared 268% year/year to $495.7 mln vs. the $385.6 mln consensus.

The upside beat was driven by strong "Shrek 2" DVD sales and international "Shark Tale" revenues. "Shrek 2" is the third best selling DVD of all time behind "The Lion King" and "Titanic." A total of 37 mln units were sold during the quarter generating $360 mln in sales, pushing the tally to over $900 mln worldwide in 2004. DWA expects the movie will sell another 3 mln units in Q1 reaching 55 mln during its lifetime. "Shark Tale," released domestically on October 1, 2004, sold 12 mln units generating $62 mln in revenues with worldwide box office sales of approximately $316 mln for the year. The TV premier of "Spirit: Stallion of the Cimmaron" generated $43 mln in revenues.

SG&A rose due to higher marketing and promotional spending, along with several one-time expenses totaling $21 mln. These included IPO-related costs of $5 mln and company wide bonuses of $8 mln. The company went public back in October of last year. The strong quarter is likely to result in positive earnings revisions by the Street.

There are several near-term catalysts for shares. The first is the company's analyst meeting on April 6th, which will include a screening of its newest film "Madagascar." This movie, which the company says is testing well, is slotted to be released on May 27th. Positive buzz could propel the stock in anticipation of a strong opening weekend. "Madagascar" stars the voices of Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, Jada Pinkett Smith, and David Schwimmer as a couple of zoo animals that after living it up at New York's Central Park Zoo, escape for a night on the town only to be captured and sent to Africa. The trip is then sabotaged by a bunch of penguins leaving the friends to be washed ashore on the island of Madagascar. Promotional partners for the movie include Hewlett-Packard (HPQ), General Mills (00C), Payless Shoes (PSS), and Denny's (DNYY).

Other future films include "Wallace & Gromit: Tale of Were Rabbit" and "Shrek 3" expected to be released on Oct 7th, 2005 and May 2007, respectively. Due to the company's successful track record to date, the outlook is quite promising as animation films continue to rein at the box office. The family movie market has grown by 4% CAGR over the last years. The industry does carry some risks, namely film delays and box office performance. For now, DWA is enjoying positive momentum as reflected in shares Friday following the strong result. Additionally, an article in Business Week stating Walt Disney's (DIS) new CEO, Robert Iger, may make a bid for the company is also contributing to the stock's performance. Disney is thought to be trying to woo Pixar (PIXR) back, as such a deal with DWA would take the market by surprise. It would, however, face challenges including a considerable price tag and its distribution agreement with NBC Universal. Shares are trading at price to forward earnings multiple of 21.4x vs. Pixar at 47.7x.---Kimberly DuBord, Briefing.com

11:01AM GS IT Survey: Tech Has Matured The Goldman Sachs IT spending survey has been one of the best leading indicators of the enterprise information technology (IT) market for many years. The firm interviews CIO (Chief Information Officers) at major enterprises with respect to their actual approved budget authorization levels as well as their "wishlist" budget hopes and needs. The real benefit of this survey is that it reaches the executives who are closest to the actual needs of large enterprises (as opposed to CEOs who rely on their CIOs to tell them what's needed) and that it deals with actual budget allocations, not just expectations. The track record is very good at predicting the overall "tide" of spending in the enterprise tech market, which, of course, is where the revenues of IT vendors comes from.

Today's newly published survey (distributed to Goldman Sachs clients) does not paint a very good picture for anyone who is hoping for capital spending by enterprises to return to the gold-rush days of the 1990s. Before the internet came along, every enterprise was investing heavily to upgrade and extend their IT systems. The value of information processing had become obvious (some people argue that Wal-Mart's true competitive advantage is their IT system) and no enterprise wanted to be left behind.

Then the internet frenzy drove many a large enterprise to invest heavily, all over again, in order to ensure that some new upstart company run by a 24 year old would not destroy them! It almost seems humorous today, but that fear was widespread and truly frightening.

But after the internet startups collapsed in 2000, followed by the telecom startups collapsing, the overall tech industry collapsed in 2001. Ever since that time, there has been a legion of people faithfully awaiting the "return of tech." Overall spending in the tech market stopped declining in 2003, which lead a lot of people do believe the long awaited rebound had occurred.

In 2004, there was some resurgence of spending in tech stocks, but full fledged all-out capital investment by enterprises did not occur. We have argued for almost three years now that the enterprise IT market has matured. Every large corporation already has an IT system. They have already upgraded it to acceptable performance. All they are doing now is customizing and refining the application level software that processes and analyzes the data they need to run their business better. It is the reason they invested in the IT system in the first place. A return to the boom days for technology companies - at least those companies that sell any part of a computer system to large enterprises - is over. The market won't disappear, but it is mature, like so many other markets, and will grow modestly, like other markets.

The following quote from the Goldman Sachs IT Survey captures today's environment best: "The best of the post-downturn spending "bounce" may well be behind us, and without a landscape-changing technology shift to drive sustained outperformance, tech looks to be firmly in the cyclical category for now. We expect 2005 IT spending to be modestly better than last year, but still not reflective of a fully healthy tech spending environment." The key word here, for us, is "cyclical." The very concept of cyclicality is one that applies to mature markets, not growing ones. In fact, the phrases "cyclical for now" and "modestly better than last year" can probably be found in research reports on such industries as steel, or autos. - Robert V. Green

10:52AM PalmOne (PLMO) 22.25 -1.80: The luck of the Irish did not help the shareholders of PalmOne last night, as the company reported in line earnings (with higher than expected revenues) but soured things by issuing lower than expected guidance. During the conference call, management noted that they had increased the number of software engineers on staff and looking to hire even more in an effort to become known as a mobile computing company.

The current perception of PalmOne is that they are the maker of some neat handheld computers and they are the chief competitor to Research in Motion's Blackberry. While their Treo product does offer some formidable competition to the Blackberry, consistent troubles in the manufacturing process has once again reared its ugly head. The company noted that delays would push some deliveries from early in the next quarter to later in the next quarter and may even end up being in the following quarter.

In after hours trading during the conference call, the stock was in real danger of sliding below $20. From that time to the open, the stock recovered a bit to open down about 7% from yesterday's close of just north of $24 a share. Clearly, investors are being given a second chance here as some of the brokers are focused in on the possibility of better metrics down the road and the low multiple the stock currently carries.

The company noted on the call that a part of its transition from being known simply as a producer of smartphones and a mobile computing juggernaut, that it would increase investment into designs and other entertainment devices. One device in particular was mentioned on the call - next generation radios. We understand that the popularity of iPod's and the like have turned that idea into a white-hot sector and trying to cash in on it is a reasonable idea. But one has to look at the expected competition in that market. Sony has announced a new line of products to compete against the iPod and it would be nothing short of foolish to think that there isn't another big product announcement coming down the road from another electronics giant.

The company plans for increased investment led to the lower guidance for earnings, something that investors should take seriously. Obviously, decreasing earnings more often than not, lead to decreasing share prices. Factor in the ideas of poor execution (product delays) and a shift in focus to a segment that has intense competition, and a general idea begins to take shape.

The smartphone market is a big market. Of all phones, less than 3% are smart phones. This fact implies that the potential growth for this market is huge. Competition will be present no matter where PalmOne focuses its efforts, but after generating a solid foothold in the smartphone market, it is hard to imagine what is making them want to expand into areas where there will be even more competition. Something should be said for their vision to diversify their revenue stream before it gets threatened to an extreme degree by the like of Samsung and others; but what will be the cost of that diversification?

8:41AM Page One - Range Bound : The S&P 500 index is poised for its second straight weekly decline. It opens today at 1190, after closing last week at 1200. The index is right where it was in early December. It is still very much a trading range market.

Futures suggest a slightly higher open this morning. Oil prices have come off their highs, but remain over $56 a barrel. The 10-year note yield sits at 4.49%.

The corporate news is fairly upbeat. Adobe Systems had a very good earnings report after the close yesterday. That has given a boost to techs. Nike and Jabil Circuit also had good reports. PalmOne, however, had a poor report, warning for the current quarter. Also in corporate news, the Financial Times is reporting that Oracle has again topped SAP's bid for Retek. The all cash bid reflects the strong cash flow and balance sheets across US companies that is boosting merger and acquisition activity.

There are no economic releases today other than the Michigan Sentiment index due at 9:45 ET. That release can sometimes cause a market reaction, particularly when consumer spending trends are in doubt. But it doesn't correlate well with spending, and the trend right now is clear (strong).

The market remains torn between the positives of a booming economy, strong cash flow, and mergers on the positive side, and the negatives of inflationary pressures and rising interest rates. For now, that means the trading range is likely to continue. Next week there are very few earnings reports scheduled. The Oracle report on Tuesday is by far the biggest. The economic calendar is light, but PPI and CPI loom. There is a risk that even an extra 0.1% on either core rate could roil the markets. Dick Green, Briefing.com

http://finance.yahoo.com/mp?u

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Chicago Trading Group Weekend Update:

http://www.chicagotradinggroup.com/weekendupdate032005.htm

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MORNING WATCH, Mar. 21


By Frederic Ruffy, Optionetics.com
3/21/2005 5:45 AM EST


Early indications point to modest market strength Monday morning, with gains in Internet and biotechnology stocks following merger news. Trading is expected to remain cautious, however, due to rising oil prices and ahead of tomorrow’s Federal Reserve Open Market Committee [FOMC] meeting. Approximately 90 minutes before the start of trading in New York, stock index futures pointed to modest gains for both the Dow Jones Industrial Average ($INDU) and the Nasdaq ($COMPQ).

Merger news in the Internet sector is making rounds Monday morning. IAC InterActiveCorp (IACI) is making a bid for Ask Jeeves (ASKJ), according to a story on Reuters. ASKJ was up $5.05 to $29.29 on the news. Meanwhile, Yahoo Inc. (YHOO) is acquiring privately held Ludicorp Research & Development Ltd. A merger was also announced in the biotech sector Monday. Medicis Pharmaceutical (MRX) and Inamed (INMD) are merging in a $2.8 billion deal.

Elsewhere in the biotechnology sector, Genentech (DNA) is set to trade higher after studies showed that cancer treatment from rival Novartis (NVS) failed to produce successful results in fighting tumors. DNA rose $1.70 to $52.51 in overseas trading. Protein Design Labs (PDLI) and Imclone (IMCL) might also benefit from the news.

Shares of the homebuilders might be active today after the latest issue of Barron’s published an article warning about the risks of owning housing stocks amid rising interest rates and a possible bubble in the real estate market. KB Home (KBH), Beazer (BZH), and Toll Brothers (TOL) were among a dozen or so names mentioned in the article. As a side note, KB Home reports earnings after the closing bell.

Among the stocks to watch Friday, Paychex (PAYX) might be active ahead of its earnings report due out after the closing bell. Carnival Corp. (CCL) reports profits this morning. General Motors (GM) is expected to trade actively on news that it will fire some of its white-collar workforce in its North American division. Citigroup (C) is in focus on news that regulators are barring the company from making any further acquisitions until the financial services giant resolves various regulatory issues.

Meanwhile, oil related stocks may show strength after crude oil prices rose again Monday morning. Crude oil was recently trading up 28 cents to $57.00 a barrel. Prices rose to all time highs of more than $57.50 a barrel last week on concern that global supplies will not be enough to meet rising demand during the busy summer travel season.

On the economic front, no reports are due out today, but inflation and interest rates will be an important topic this week. Reports on Producer Prices [PPI] and Consumer Prices [CPI] are due out Tuesday and Wednesday. The numbers will take on added important because the FOMC meets to discuss interest rates on Tuesday. The committee is widely expected to announce another .25-point increase in its Fed Funds target, to 2.75%. However, there is some uncertainty regarding the wording of the post meeting statement and whether the Federal Reserve will abandon its reference to “measured” rate increases. For that reason, if tomorrow’s PPI comes in much stronger-than-expected, it will signal that inflationary pressures are rising, and it will become more likely that the Fed’s reference to “measured” rate increases will disappear tomorrow. In other words, high readings from the PPI and CPI might bring about higher interest rates sooner rather than later.



Frederic Ruffy
Senior Writer
Optionetics.com ~ Your Options Education Site

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CLOSING WRAP-UP, Mar. 21
By Jody Osborne, Optionetics.com
3/21/2005 5:30 PM EST

http://optionetics.com/articles/article_full.asp?idNo=12112

Another bout of selling for the major market indices, though stocks did bounce off intraday lows. The Dow ($INDU) never saw positive territory Monday, closing with a loss of 64.28 points to 10,565.39. The S&P 500 ($SPX) also remained in the red, ending the session with a loss of 5.87 points to 1,183.78. The Nasdaq ($COMPQ) hovered near the flat line for most the session and closed there as well, down just 0.28 points to 2,007.51. Volume was light with just 1.45 billion shares trading on the NYSE and 1.63 billion shares trading on the Naz. Market breadth was negative by a 10-to-23 and 14-to-16 margin on the Naz.

Interestingly, the session was weak despite a number of merger announcements. In the Internet sector, IAC/InterActiveCorp (IACI) announced plans to buy Ask Jeeves (ASKJ) for about $1.85 billion in stock. In the chip sector Entegris (ENTG) agreed to buy Mykrolis (MYK) for $1.3 billion in stock. And in the pharmaceutical sector, Medicis (MRX) reached an agreement to purchase Inamed Corp (IMDC) for $2.8 billion in stock and cash. As is usually the case, the buyer saw its stock fall, while the seller experience gains.

Most the attention this week is on the FOMC meeting Tuesday, so traders were a bit hesitant ahead of this event. Nonetheless, the Dow has a fallen to nearly a two-month low and the Naz continues to test the 2K level. With the bulk of first quarter earnings still several weeks away, the economy and oil prices are garnering most the attention. Oil continues to trade near record highs, as does gasoline. This has a negative impact on the economy, with high fuel prices acting like a tax on consumers.

There were some stocks that experienced gains today; most notable was Rambus (RMBS). This tech stock rose 29.8 percent Monday after agreeing to a patent dispute with Infineon (IFX). The deal has IFX paying RMBS $5.85 million each quarter starting in Nov. 2005 and lasting two years. Overall, the Philly Semiconductor Index ($SOX) fell 0.17 percent today to close at 413.41.

Overall, the major market indices are showing weakness, but are holding support. For the past two sessions, the Naz has moved briefly below 2K, but has recaptured this level by the close. If the Naz were to close below 2K, it could be a sign that future declines are in store.

Jody Osborne
Senior Staff Writer & Options Strategist
Optionetics.com ~ Your Options Education Site

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MORNING WATCH, Mar. 22
By Frederic Ruffy, Optionetics.com
3/22/2005 6:00 AM EST

http://optionetics.com/articles/article_full.asp?idNo=12116

Stocks are set to open modestly higher Tuesday, helped by a benign reading from the latest Producer Price Index [PPI]. Trading is expected to remain cautious, however, ahead of today’s Federal Reserve Open Market Committee [FOMC] meeting. Approximately one hour before the opening bell on Wall Street, stock index futures hinted at a possible 12-point move higher in the Dow Jones Industrial Average ($INDU) and 6-point gain for the Nasdaq ($COMPQ).

The latest reading on producer prices held no major surprises. The PPI Index, which measures the price of a basket of goods on the wholesale level, rose .4% in February. Economists were looking for a gain of .3%. Excluding food and energy, the core-PPI rose only .1%, which was in line with expectations. Stock index futures ticked higher on the news because the tame reading helps to allay some of the recent inflation fears. The Consumer Price Index [CPI], which is considered a better barometer of inflation, is due out tomorrow.

In addition, the FOMC meets later today to discuss monetary policy. Economists expect the committee to announce another.25-point increase in its Fed Funds target, to 2.75%. The announcement is due out at 2:15 a.m. ET today.

Investors will be interested in the post-FOMC statement and any possible changes to the wording since the last meeting. To be specific, there is some uncertainty regarding whether or not the adjective “measured” will be dropped from Fed’s stance on future rate hikes. If the word is removed, it could signal that the FOMC is ready to move more aggressively on rates. That is, the Fed is ready to move rates up faster than previously expected.

Software stocks might fall in early trading after Electronic Arts (ERTS) issued an earnings warning Monday afternoon. The software maker says it now expects to earn $1.62 to $1.64, compared to previous estimates of $1.87. Shares are down $8.65 to $57.70 in pre-market trading.

In other stock news, General Motors (GM) and American International Group (AIG) are likely to weigh on the Dow Jones Industrial Average early today. Shares of General Motors lost ground in overseas trading on news that General Electric (GE) has decided to pull its $2 billion credit line that has helped GM pay parts suppliers. Meanwhile, AIG fell $1.00 to $56.90 after two key executives said they would invoke their Fifth Amendment rights as regulators investigate the company. However, Alcoa (AA) might help offset some of those losses within the Dow after the company announced a restructuring plan that might save $45 million a year.

Overall, the tone of early trading is likely to be somewhat positive due to the tame reading from the PPI. However, although the report helps ease some of the recent inflation fears, trading is likely to remain cautious ahead of the FOMC announcement. High oil prices, which are essentially unchanged this morning, along with the GM news might weigh on market sentiment. For that reason, after the market’s initial reaction, stocks are likely to trade cautiously until the Fed’s announcement hits the wires.



Frederic Ruffy
Senior Writer
Optionetics.com ~ Your Options Education Site

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2:30PM : Market plummets to its worst levels of the session, in sympathy with a sell off in Treasurys, but finds some buying support just above the flat line... While the policy statement was basically left unchanged, the mention that "pressures on inflation have picked up in recent months" has rattled the bond market, as the 10-year note, which was up 11 ticks yielding 4.47% ahead of the report, has now fallen more than 14 ticks and now yields 4.57%...

The actual text of the statement reads: "The Committee believes that, even after this action, the stance of monetary policy remains accommodative and, coupled with robust underlying growth in productivity, is providing ongoing support to economic activity. Output evidently continues to grow at a solid pace despite the rise in energy prices, and labor market conditions continue to improve gradually. Though longer-term inflation expectations remain well contained, pressures on inflation have picked up in recent months and pricing power is more evident. The rise in energy prices, however, has not notably fed through to core consumer prices. The Committee perceives that, with appropriate monetary policy action, the upside and downside risks to the attainment of both sustainable growth and price stability should be kept roughly equal. With underlying inflation expected to be contained, the Committee believes that policy accommodation can be removed at a pace that is likely to be measured. Nonetheless, the Committee will respond to changes in economic prospects as needed to fulfill its obligation to maintain price stability."NYSE Adv/Dec 2010/1234, Nasdaq Adv/Dec 1786/1208

http://biz.yahoo.com/mu/update.html

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MORNING WATCH, Mar. 24
By Frederic Ruffy, Optionetics.com
3/24/2005 6:00 AM EST

http://optionetics.com/articles/article_full.asp?idNo=12131

Stocks are set to open higher Thursday after General Electric (GE) raised its first quarter earnings forecast. Approximately one hour before the opening bell on Wall Street, stock index futures hinted at a possible 35-point move higher in the Dow Jones Industrial Average ($INDU) and a five or ten-point gain for the Nasdaq ($COMPQ). However, trading might be cautious ahead of the three-day weekend. Rising oil and gas prices as well as surprisingly weak economic data might also influence early trading.

Durable goods rose much less than expected during the month of February. According to data released from the Commerce Department early Thursday, orders for factory hard goods rose just .3% last month. Excluding transportation, durable goods rose.2%. Economists were looking for a rise of 1% in durable goods and a gain of .5% excluding transportation.

Meanwhile, the latest weekly jobless claims figures came in above expectations. According to the Labor Department, the number of new filings for jobless benefits in the week ended March 19 rose to 324,000 from a revised 321,000. Economists were looking for a decline to 315,000.

Despite the weaker than expected economic numbers, stock index futures held steady and even rose a bit after the reports. The data indicates that the economy is perhaps not as strong as some might have thought, which helps to ease some of the inflation and interest rate jitters that rattled the market earlier this week.

One more piece of economic data is due out before the three-day weekend. At 10:00 a.m. ET, a report is expected to show new home sales rising to 1.185 million units from 1.106 the month before. Markets are closed tomorrow for Good Friday.

Oil and gasoline prices will be in focus. Prices are moving higher after an explosion at a refinery in Texas disrupted operations. The refinery is the source of 3% of US fuel and the disruption raises supply concerns, just as the US moves into the busy summer driving season. Crude rose 57 cents to $54.38 and gasoline hit all time highs.

Positive earnings news from General Electric is seen offsetting some of the oil worries, however. The world’s largest company by market value said it expects to earn 37 to 38 cents a share, compared to previous estimates of 36 to 37 cents. The stock rose 40 cents to $35.90 in overseas trading.

In other stock new Thursday, shares of major internet companies might climb higher after Yahoo (YHOO) announced a $3 billion stock repurchase plan, which might be a sign that some dot coms think their share prices are undervalued. Lexar Media (LEXR) shares were trading up $2.33 to $5.50 on news a California court ordered Toshiba to pay the company $318 million related to a dispute over technology.

Lexar is scheduled to post profits after the close of trading. Analysts expect the company to post a loss of more than 70 cents for the quarter. Tibco Software (TIBX), Verity (VRTY), and Solectron (SLR) also report profits after the closing bell. After that, there are no earnings or economic reports scheduled until after the three-day weekend.



Frederic Ruffy
Senior Writer
Optionetics.com ~ Your Options Education Site

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MORNING WATCH, Mar. 24
By Frederic Ruffy, Optionetics.com
3/24/2005 6:00 AM EST

http://optionetics.com/articles/article_full.asp?idNo=12131

Stocks are set to open higher Thursday after General Electric (GE) raised its first quarter earnings forecast. Approximately one hour before the opening bell on Wall Street, stock index futures hinted at a possible 35-point move higher in the Dow Jones Industrial Average ($INDU) and a five or ten-point gain for the Nasdaq ($COMPQ). However, trading might be cautious ahead of the three-day weekend. Rising oil and gas prices as well as surprisingly weak economic data might also influence early trading.

Durable goods rose much less than expected during the month of February. According to data released from the Commerce Department early Thursday, orders for factory hard goods rose just .3% last month. Excluding transportation, durable goods rose.2%. Economists were looking for a rise of 1% in durable goods and a gain of .5% excluding transportation.

Meanwhile, the latest weekly jobless claims figures came in above expectations. According to the Labor Department, the number of new filings for jobless benefits in the week ended March 19 rose to 324,000 from a revised 321,000. Economists were looking for a decline to 315,000.

Despite the weaker than expected economic numbers, stock index futures held steady and even rose a bit after the reports. The data indicates that the economy is perhaps not as strong as some might have thought, which helps to ease some of the inflation and interest rate jitters that rattled the market earlier this week.

One more piece of economic data is due out before the three-day weekend. At 10:00 a.m. ET, a report is expected to show new home sales rising to 1.185 million units from 1.106 the month before. Markets are closed tomorrow for Good Friday.

Oil and gasoline prices will be in focus. Prices are moving higher after an explosion at a refinery in Texas disrupted operations. The refinery is the source of 3% of US fuel and the disruption raises supply concerns, just as the US moves into the busy summer driving season. Crude rose 57 cents to $54.38 and gasoline hit all time highs.

Positive earnings news from General Electric is seen offsetting some of the oil worries, however. The world’s largest company by market value said it expects to earn 37 to 38 cents a share, compared to previous estimates of 36 to 37 cents. The stock rose 40 cents to $35.90 in overseas trading.

In other stock new Thursday, shares of major internet companies might climb higher after Yahoo (YHOO) announced a $3 billion stock repurchase plan, which might be a sign that some dot coms think their share prices are undervalued. Lexar Media (LEXR) shares were trading up $2.33 to $5.50 on news a California court ordered Toshiba to pay the company $318 million related to a dispute over technology.

Lexar is scheduled to post profits after the close of trading. Analysts expect the company to post a loss of more than 70 cents for the quarter. Tibco Software (TIBX), Verity (VRTY), and Solectron (SLR) also report profits after the closing bell. After that, there are no earnings or economic reports scheduled until after the three-day weekend.



Frederic Ruffy
Senior Writer
Optionetics.com ~ Your Options Education Site

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SMH ST B 1000 shares@32.73

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From Briefing.com: 5:59PM Swing Trader: MRVL, KLAC : -- Technical -- The market traded modestly higher off the open and managed to approach last Thursday's highs before giving up its gains. An early afternoon rally back to the session highs also managed to fail leaving the S&P and Nasdaq closing at their session lows. Not exactly the most convincing signs of a rally after becoming quickly oversold the last 3 weeks. Market Breadth was negative today...(continued)

Close Dow +42.78 at 10485.65, S&P +2.86 at 1174.28, Nasdaq +1.46 at 1992.52: News of the biggest tech buyout ever, falling oil prices, a stronger dollar and arguably oversold conditions lifted stocks at the open and closed the market on an upbeat note in the face of deteriorating breadth figures... Underpinning a positive sentiment at the open was news that a consortium of seven private-equity firms plan to acquire SunGard Data Systems (SDS 34.36 +2.81) for roughly $10.8 bln...
Led by Silver Lake Partners, the proposed largest leveraged buyout in 15 years signaled a huge increase of cash among buyout firms, piquing the possibility that more large deals could be in the works... Also helping investors shrug off three consecutive weeks of market declines was a 1.4% sell off in oil prices... Profit taking in crude oil futures ($54.05/bbl -$0.79), amid reduced concerns of insufficient inventories and a stronger dollar, eased inflation fears and provided a floor of support for stocks throughout the session...

Reports of a large 8.2 earthquake, occurring on the same fault line off the coast of Indonesia as the one that caused December's deadly tsunami, temporarily renewed modest buying interest in oil futures but failed to rattle investors as the commodity still closed lower... The dollar climbed to a 4-month high against the yen (107.22) and advanced to a six-week high against the euro (1.2891), extending last week's gains amid higher interest rates and expectations that economic reports later in the week will show an improving U.S. economy... While there was no economic data for equity investors to sift through today, bond traders were wary ahead of this week's data, as Treasurys closed near session lows... The benchmark 10-year note finished down 9 ticks to yield 4.62%...

Unaffected by higher bond yields, due to strength in Insurance (+2.2%), Banks (+0.4%) and Brokerage (+0.3%) was Financial (+0.7%), after the SEC subpoenaed as many as 12 executives at American International Group (AIG 57.02 +1.41)... Another economic sector closing higher was Consumer Discretionary (+0.6%), led by strength in Department Stores (+1.7%), amid a 1.7% sell off in gasoline futures ($157.2/gal)... Weakness in Drug Retail (-1.6%) following a Q2 earnings disappointment from Walgreen (WAG 45.11 -1.12), however, minimized gains...

Technology finished in split fashion, as late-day strength in Software (+0.2%), after Symantec (SYMC 21.35 +0.42) authorized a $3 bln share buyback expansion, offset modest weakness in Semiconductor and Hardware... Telecom Services (+0.2%) climbed following a favorable FCC ruling regarding high-speed Internet service while Utility and Consumer Staples also eked out gains...

Health Care Distributors (-6.6%), however, led Monday's list of laggards after AmerisourceBergen (ABC 54.03 -7.08) lowered its Q2 and FY05 earnings outlook while Biotech (-1.3%) was also weak after Phase III clinical studies showed Ligand Pharmaceuticals' (LGND 5.88 -2.35) drug Targretin to be ineffective in significantly extending the lives of lung cancer patients... Electronic Manufacturing Services (-3.9%) closed lower after Bear Stearns downgraded Solectron (SLR 3.67 -0.59) and Sanmina-SCI (SANM 5.06 -0.21) while weakness in Steel (-2.6%) and a stronger dollar pressured the Materials sector (-0.5%)... News that Iraqi security forces surrounded Iraq's most-wanted Abu Musab al-Zarqawi arguably provided a modest boost to overall sentiment around the open; but even after the report was disregarded as a bad translation, stocks held their ground... DJTA -0.1, DJUA +0.1, DOT +0.5, Nasdaq 100 +0.2, SOX -0.1, S&P Midcap 400 +0.1, XOI -0.3, NYSE Adv/Dec 1454/1850, Nasdaq Adv/Dec 1412/1666

1:47PM Sector Watch: Semi Index -SOX- positive but stalls at resistance : The index (SOX 419.21, +0.8%) pushed higher out of the starting gate but the rally stalled in the first 10 minutes of trade at its 20/50 day ema at 422 (session high 422.40) with limited range trade persisting over the last several hours. Top performing components today include: INTC +1.6%, NSM +1.3%, XLNX +1.1%, MXIM +1%, LLTC +1%, TER +1%. Weaker names today include: AMD -1.5%, AMAT -0.3%, LSI -0.3%. (click for chart)

9:12AM Gapping Down : LGND -18% (clinical data), SLR -10% (Bear Stearns downgrade), TIN -9% (Carl Icahn does not intend to nominate board candidates; may reduce probability that TIN is broken up; BofA downgrade), BDCO -7.7% (reports Q4), LEXR -7% (reports Q4; speculation that Toshiba award may be less than expected), HLYW -6.7% (BBI -6.5% drops bid for the co), ENWV -4.7% (5 mln share offering), TASR -3.5% (estimates cut at Morgan Keegan), SANM -3.2% (Bear Stearns downgrade), GM -1.4% (UBS downgrade).

8:58AM Gapping Up : IMMR +35% (confirms $90.7 mln judgment in patent case against Sony), MOVI +15% (Blockbuster drops bid for HLYW, speculation MOVI may become target), SDS +10% (to be acquired by private equity group), NFLX +9.6% (announces that it has over 3 mln subscribers), ANTP +6.1% (extends last week's momentum), SYBR +5.5% (extension of 30% move on Thursday), ALCO +4.9% (highlighted favorably in Barrons), MLNM +4% (to discuss full approval of Velcade), ALVR +3.5% (Barron's story), YHOO +2.4% (positive Goldman note), CHKP +2.3% (CSFB upgrade).

2:52PM AmerisourceBergen Corp (ABC) 54.23 -6.88: The road continues to be rocky for AmerisourceBergen, the wholesale pharmaceutical distributor. Over the last six months, earnings quality has been poor and the company has tempered guidance continuously. Before the open on Monday, ABC severely reduced its earnings guidance for Q2 and FY05. ABC, as well as the industry, continues to face a challenging environment with lower market growth, pared down buy-side income, and uncertainty surrounding the new fee-for-service agreements.

ABC now sees Q2 EPS of $0.75-0.85 a substantial shortfall from the Reuters Estimates consensus of $1.11. For the full year, the picture does not look any better. It expects earnings in the range of $3.10-4.00 down from $4.00-4.10 vs. consensus of $3.82. Full year earnings were just revised down back on December 22nd. ABC stated, the drop-off was primarily due to reduced buy-side profits resulting from lower than anticipated inventory levels associated with its ongoing transition to fee-for-service (FFS) contracts with branded pharmaceutical manufacturers. For Y06, the company sees EPS of $3.60-4.40, vs. consensus of $4.44 assuming pharmaceutical market growth in the high-single digits.

Surprisingly enough, the stock has appreciated over 5% since its last downward revision at the end of the year. The other distributors, Cardinal Health (CAH) and McKesson (00C) have also held steady, despite a challenging industry. ABC is not faring as well as its competitors. The company lost two big customers last year, Veterans Administration and Advance PCS, which have negatively impacted revenue. Taking into consideration today's revision, and the likelihood that earnings will most likely hit the bottom of the FY05 range, earnings will be flat to negative year/year. This once growth stock has now turned to a value play trading at 15x forward earnings.

ABC said it remains committed to its share repurchase program. In Feb, it announced plans to repurchase up to 5.7 mln shares. Today, it also increased its FY05 cash flow guidance by $1 bln due to inventory liquidation, funds, which may be used to bump up this authorized plan. For now, we would suggest caution as the industry faces numerous challenges including slowing US pharmaceutical market growth and changes in profit dynamics through vendor margins, increasing mail-order penetration, and fewer forward buying opportunities, in addition to regulatory risks from Medicare/Medicaid payments.----Kimberly DuBord, Briefing.com
2:50PM Walgreen Co (WAG) 45.27 -0.85: Just last week we wrote about how the drug retailers have been one of the best performing groups year-to-date. Today, shares are trading down slightly after Walgreen reported a penny shy of expectations for Q2, after topping estimates for the last three consecutive quarters.

Net earnings for the quarter rose 15% year/year and 51.6% quarter/quarter to $487.9 mln, or $0.47 per share excluding a penny in litigation gains. On the top line, the second quarter is seasonally strong due to the holiday selling season. Sales rose 12.3% y/y to $10.99 bln, just slightly under the consensus estimate.

Same-store sales, or those stores open for more than a year, grew 7.7% for the quarter. Although last year's number did include an extra day because of leap year. Its front-end and pharmacy continue to drive sales. Front-end comps rose 4.1%, while prescriptions, which accounted for 61% of sales, increased 10.1%. Third party plans now account for over 90% of all script sales.

It added 178 new stores in the first half of the year vs. 140 last year on track to reach a net increase of 365 this year. Walgreen's success has, in part, been through its added-value services like the new digital-photo processing service it now offers. This investment, however, increased SG&A expenses by 71 basis points. WAG noted higher salary and store expenses were offset by lower insurance costs. Strong generic drug sell-throughs helped boost gross margins by 83 basis points y/y to 28.4%.

Even though earnings and sales momentum continue to be strong, the stock is fully valued. It's trading at 29.3x forward earnings, right in-line with its historical average. Shares also trade at a substantial premium to the S&P 500 Staples Sector on a current P/E basis of 31.4x and 19.6x, respectively. We would suggest investors take advantage of any weakness caused by WAG's headline miss in CVS shares. CVS (CVS), a suggested holding in our Active Portfolio, offers investors further upside due to its restructuring progress made with its Eckerd stores and positive comps trends, coupled with a reasonable valuation of 19.6x forward earnings----Kimberly DuBord, Briefing.com

12:46PM SunGard Data Systems (SDS) $34.70 +3.15 (+9.9%) Usually, information moves the price of a stock immediately. But sometimes, there is a lag time, which usually implies an assessment of risk versus the potential reward is important. SunGard's announcement today of an agreement to be acquired by a group of well-heeled private equity firms is an example. The consortium of investor firms is led by Silver Lake Partners and includes such "big names" as Bain Capital, Blackstone, Goldman Sachs Capital Partners, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, Providence Equity, and Texas Pacific Group. The all-cash purchase is for $36 per share, with an expected close of this transaction in the third quarter of 2005, or about six months away.

Last Monday, SunGard issued a press release stating the company was in discussions regarding the possible sale of the entire company. Ironically, such a disclosure might not have been necessary, except for the company's planned spin-off of the Availability Services division of the company. No possible price was set for the acquisition, but the stock rose from the $25 level to the $31 level almost immediately. The risk at this point was very high, since the possible acquisition value of SDS was pure speculation. Nevertheless, the stock rose about 24%. The assessment that SDS was undervalued by the market, and probably part of the reason an acquirer was interested in the first place, offset the risk that the deal would be below the $31 level.

But you could still have bought the stock after the announcement came out - if you were comfortable with the risk that the price would not be much higher than $31 - and have seen the reward side win out over the risk side. The risk in taking a position at $31 was that the deal would either fall apart or not be above $31. That risk turned out to be minimal, as the announcement today has brought the stock to the $34 level, for a return of 10% in just one week.

But the price is still below the $36 all-cash acquisition price, about 4% lower. What does the risk/reward scenario look like now? The risk now is that the deal will not close, for whatever reason, and the stock will fall to possibly much lower levels. This risk is strengthened since the prospectus for the acquisition has not yet been filed, meaning whatever conditions upon which the purchase is based have not yet been disclosed.

The possible reward, then, for taking a position today, comes from capturing the $36 per share transaction when the deal closes. Is that adequate reward? The first step is to calculate how much of the expected gain is actually compensation for the risk taken. A six month return of 3.7% is approximately equal to a 7.5% annual compounded yield. With 6-month treasuries slightly over 3%, this makes the compensation for the risk of the deal going through only slightly more than a 4% annual rate. Another way of looking at it is that a new position at $34.70 will provide a total of $1.30 in gains. A full $0.55 of those gains can be earned without risk by investing in a 6-month T-bill. That leaves $0.75 as the compensation for risk, which is about equal to a 2.2% return or an annual rate of 4.4.% In short, the total reward for taking the risk the deal won't go through is about 2.5 times the risk free return of a T-bill. With the possibility of summer being a very difficult time to generate good returns in the market, the 7.5% annualized return on taking a position now might like a good way to take a bench-seat while the market struggles for six months.

Any assessment of whether that is an appropriate reward for taking this risk is very personal. However, we think it is very likely that this deal will close at the stated price, given the types of investors in the buying group, the strong market position of SDS products, and the future growth possibilities. One of the larger ongoing trends in the financial services industry is the automation of financial transactions. This trend is still in its development stages and has a long run ahead of it. SunGard is well positioned to exploit it, particularly in private hands. - Robert V. Green

11:08AM Shopping.com (SHOP) 17.78 -0.22: It wasn't too long ago that the idea of comparison shopping over the Internet was touted as the "biggest development in the history of commerce." The idea looked like it would forever destroy pricing power by manufacturers of goods and services and would push all retail models into the "volume" game. Several websites touted their expertise in the area and just waited for traffic tidal wave to sweep them away.

CNET Networks and My Simon were early entrants to a market that never really took off. Has anything really substantial changed that would make the economics of the comparison shopping platform more attractive to investors? Certainly there has been an explosion in the popularity of MP3 players and a few other devices in the consumer electronics market, and the comparison shopper makes that purchase a little easier, but are the fundamentals shifting to where we are going to use comparison shopping tools like the one developed by Shopping.com for most of our purchases?

The simple (and obvious) answer is no. There is not a glaring need to have comparison shopping services performed for every purchase a consumer makes. The types of purchases that benefit from comparison shopping are only those with a significant amount of features on the product or stated another way a high degree of complexity. These are not your average every day items for consumption, they are not sold at every corner drug store or super mart. They are high specialized goods and available only a few places.

Now that we know where comparison shopping works for us as consumers, we can get a better idea of where it works for us as investors. So right off the top we know that because of what the service is good for we know that the market is very small. More over it is not a market that is expected to increase. We don't know of too many product manufacturers that want to make a product more complex, the pendulum is swinging in the complete opposite direction.

The next and probably biggest idea killer is that it takes relatively small amounts of technology and capital to start a comparison shopping service. So not only will competition flourish, the greater implication is that pricing power will erode over time. This also speaks to the idea that exit strategies for these type of investments (especially those that are private currently) are stuck with very few options.

There is a market for these types of companies, as they do drive qualified traffic to merchants and also provide enormously high conversion rates. One problem that this creates is a lack of lifetime shoppers or any type of customer loyalty. Instead the process effectively commoditizes most every aspect of the shopping experience and makes it all about cost. So while the product can be most useful in some areas, the business model just doesn't seem to have all that it takes.

8:20AM Page One - Ahead of the Open: It is Monday, and there is indeed more merger news. Stock futures indicate an up open. The market has been down each of the past three weeks, however, and there are some important economic releases to deal with late this week that threaten to roil the markets.

The merger news this morning is a $10.4 billion buyout of Sungard Data Systems (SDS) by a private equity firm. This deal was rumored last week and is thus no surprise, but it is nevertheless a positive influence on the market.

It will be a very light week for earnings news, but there is a report of note out this morning. Usually steady Walgreen (WAG) reported earnings of $0.47 per share for the quarter ended February 28, a penny below expectations. There are a few retailers that will report earnings later this week, but the real concern will be any earnings warnings announcements. The final week of the calendar quarter is typically a period when companies that are not going to hit Wall Street expectations make an announcement to that effect. This morning, Amerisource Bergen warned. The possibility of more warnings this week poses a risk to the market.

The economic releases this week will be important. The core PCE number on Thursday (a component of the personal income data) and the average hourly earnings figure in the March employment data will be critical. These inflation indicators have the potential to increase already heightened concerns about inflation.

Mondays have had a positive bias lately. Merger announcements have helped. Yet, a positive open to the week has not translated into gains for the entire week, as the focus has shifted away from the economy and earnings to inflation and interest rates. The focus on the negative is likely to continue this week, but that may soon change as first quarter earnings reports will start to move to center stage with General Electric and Alcoa scheduled to start the season on April 7. For now, our view is still neutral and cautious.

http://biz.yahoo.com/mu/story.html

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MORNING WATCH, Apr. 7
By Frederic Ruffy, Optionetics.com
4/7/2005 6:30 AM EST

http://optionetics.com/articles/article_full.asp?idNo=12204

Stocks are set to open flat to modestly lower Thursday morning after a report showed weekly jobless claims falling less than expected during the latest period and after Wal-mart (WMT) said quarterly earnings would come in at the low end of expectations. Approximately forty-five minutes before the start of trading in New York, stock index futures on both the Dow Jones Industrial Average ($INDU) and the Nasdaq ($COMPQ) were moving modestly lower.

Shares of Wal-mart are set to trade lower after the world’s largest retailer warned that first quarter earnings might fall short of analyst forecasts. Wal-mart said that cold wet weather in various parts of the country have hurt sales of seasonal items such as lawn and garden products. The company now expects earnings at the low end of the 56 to 58 cents a share range. Analysts were looking for 57 cents.

Rising crude oil prices also weighed on sentiment. Prices rose on concern about rising demand moving into the busy summer driving season. Crude oil was recently up 80 cents to $56.60 a barrel.

In economic news, jobless claims fell by 16,000 in the week ended April 2, statistics from the Labor Department showed Thursday morning. Economists were looking for the report to show a decline to 330,000. Therefore, the report was not far from expectations. Stock index futures showed little reaction to the news. Two more pieces of economic data are due out this week. At 10:00 a.m. ET, a report on wholesale inventories is expected to show a .7% increase in February. Data on consumer credit is released this afternoon. No economic data is scheduled for Friday.



Alcoa (AA) unofficially kicked off the first quarter earnings-reporting season Wednesday afternoon with a solid report. The first Dow stock to report profits in the latest period said that profits were boosted by strong industrial demand and higher metals prices. Earnings per share came in at 40 cents, and a penny better than expected. Dell Computer (DELL) is set to open higher after the world’s largest computer maker reaffirmed first quarter earnings guidance at its two-day analyst meeting that began yesterday.

Overall, with no major economic news moving the markets, trading has been quiet this week and the trend appears set to continue on Thursday. The Dow has risen during the past three trading sessions, but the average daily move has been less than thirty points. Meanwhile, the low volatility has helped push the Dow Jones Volatility Index ($VXD) down from Monday’s high of 14.00 to its current levels of 12.18. Therefore, after a bit more volatility towards the end of the first quarter, it appears that the market has reverted back to the low volatility trend, which makes short-term trading much more difficult or challenging.



Frederic Ruffy
Senior Writer
Optionetics.com ~ Your Options Education Site

[ReturntoSender]

Amateur Investors Mid Week Market Analysis (4/6/05)

http://www.amateur-investors.com/Mid_Week_Market_Analysis_4_6_05.htm

[ReturntoSender]

Can the SOX form a major bottom without the rest of the market doing the same? Lets look back to 1994 to when the SOX first was formed and see if it has ever happened? In 1996 that may have been what happened:

[ReturntoSender]

Final - StreetInsider Alerts 04/12/2005 @ 11:00:56 PM
By StreetInsider.com / Briefing.com, Investing-News.Com
Apr 13, 2005, 06:23

DJ:INDU ( MOSS TZOO ) FLO CPWR CA BIIB FDRY KFT NVMI CHK ISIG (+ Briefing.com) (To Earlier Below)


04/12/2005 11:00:56 PM
Briefing.com: Hourly In Play (R) - 23:00 ET
[Briefing.com Stock Information]


Apr 12, 2005 (Briefing.com via COMTEX) --Hourly In Play (R)

Updated: 12-Apr-05 23:00 ET

18:54

Swing Trader: IBM, LTR, ALL, EBAY

Markets came under pressure during the first hour of trade and stabilized thoughout mid-day. It wasn't until the Fed minutes were released that Bond Yields dropped and a broad based rebound in the market ensued. All in all, a strong high volume turnaround across the board, less the Energy sector. Interest-rate sensitive groups (Financials, Reits, Utilities) staged the more impressive rallies on the day. The big question now is how much of a follow-through, if any, will we see?...(continued)

17:14

EASI Engineered Support wins $279 mln contract from US Army (52.91 -0.53)

Co received a contract from the U.S. Army to provide a scaleable, highly-available, integrated, open-standards Command and Control Information Technology Infrastructure for the Multi-National Forces -- Iraq, the Coalition military command providing for security in Iraq at the request of the Iraq Interim Government. The contract provides an initial funding level of $12.2 mln, with a ceiling of $279 mln over the 3-year performance period.

16:57

FARO FARO Techs preannounces Q1 revs; reaffirms Y05 outlook (25.96 +1.12)

Co today reported Q1 sales of approx $27.3 mln (Reuters consensus $26.4 mln), a 30.0% increase from approx $21.0 mln in 1Q04. Co also reported new order bookings of approx $25.1 mln during Q1, an increase of $6.0 mln, or 31.4% compared with approx $19.1 mln in the year-ago quarter. "Based on our 31% growth in new orders year-to-date, we are maintaining our sales forecast for 2005 of $121-$126 mln (Reuters consensus $122 mln)," said Simon Raab, CEO. Co expects to issue its complete earnings release for Q1 on May 9, 2005.

16:54

FARO Techs preannounces Q1 revs of $27.3 mln, vs consensus of $26.38 mln


04/12/2005 04:47:51 PM
StreetInsider Alert for DJ:INDU

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --The Dow finished 59.41 points higher to close at 10,507, the Nasdaq rose 13.28 points to close at 2,005 and the S&P 500 gained 6.55 points to close at 1,187.

A late-day rally was sparked by the publishing of the FOMC minutes, which calmed fears that the Fed would get more aggressive in its battle to fight inflation. Weaker oil prices also had buyers more confident.

Volume was steady with 1.97 billion shares trading on the NYSE and 1.93 billion on the Nasdaq. Advancers outpaced decliners today by a margin of 21:12 on the NYSE and by a margin of 17:14 on the Nasdaq.

In individual stories, Mossimo, Inc.'s (Nasdaq: MOSS) closed 24.70% higher after founder Mossimo Giannulli proposed to acquire the outstanding publicly held shares of the Company for $4.00 per share in cash. On the downside, Travelzoo Inc (Nasdaq: TZOO) closed 19.40% lower after reporting Q1 below the consensus.

Tomorrow traders will be watching for data from Retail Sales and Retail Sales ex-auto. Both are due to hit the wires at 8:30 A.M.


04/12/2005 04:47:09 PM
StreetInsider Alert for FLO

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Flowers Foods (NYSE: FLO) announced the purchase for cash of a block of approximately 2.1 million shares of its common stock from an institutional holder at $28.95 per share, or $59.5 million. The shares were purchased in accordance with the share repurchase plan approved by the board of directors in 2002, which authorizes the company to repurchase up to 7.5 million shares of common stock. With this purchase, the company has repurchased approximately 4.9 million shares of its common stock for $134.0 million, an average of $27.43 per share. To fund the purchase announced today, the company drew upon its existing $150 million credit facility.


04/12/2005 04:25:18 PM
StreetInsider Alert for CPWR

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Compuware Corporation (Nasdaq: CPWR) warns for Q4; sees revenue of approximately $316 million and EPS of $0.06-$0.08, versus the consensus of $351.93M and $0.13.


04/12/2005 04:25:17 PM
StreetInsider Alert for CA

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Computer Associates (NYSE: CA) authorized the doubling of its annual cash dividend to $0.16 per share, to be paid out in quarterly installments of $0.04 per share. In addition, the Board authorized repurchasing up to $100 million in Company shares per quarter over fiscal year 2006, for an annual total of up to $400 million.


04/12/2005 04:25:15 PM
StreetInsider Alert for BIIB

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Biogen Idec (Nasdaq: BIIB) and Elan Corp PLC (NYSE: ELN) said two-year data from the AFFIRM Phase III monotherapy trial presented today for the first time, showed that treatment with TYSBARI led to a significant reduction in disability progression, the rate of clinical relapses and brain lesions in patients with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis.

AFFIRM met all primary and secondary endpoints, including disability progression and relapse rate. TYSABRI treatment was also associated with a low level of immunogenicity.

NOTE: TYSABRI was withdrawn in February after a patient died from a rare brain infection.


04/12/2005 04:10:20 PM
StreetInsider Alert for FDRY

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Foundry Networks, Inc. (Nasdaq: FDRY) warns for Q1; said net revenue for the first quarter ended March 31, 2005 is expected to be approximately $84 million, compared to the Company's previous forecast of $100-$110 million. The Company also expects earnings per diluted share for the first quarter to be in the range of $0.06 to $0.07, versus the Company's previous forecast of $0.08 to $0.12.


04/12/2005 04:10:20 PM
StreetInsider Alert for KFT

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Kraft Foods Inc. (NYSE: KFT) announced that is has agreed to sell its fruit snacks operation to the Kellogg Company, for approximately $30 million. The fruit snacks business generated net revenues of approximately $80 million in 2004.


04/12/2005 04:10:18 PM
StreetInsider Alert for NVMI

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Nova Measuring Instruments Ltd. (NASDAQ: NVMI), the market leader in Integrated Metrology systems, today announced that revenues for the first quarter of 2005 would be around $5M, below the guidance that was provided previously. Consensus is $10.69M (once analyst)


04/12/2005 04:05:23 PM
StreetInsider Alert for CHK

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Chesapeake Energy Corporation (NYSE: CHK) announced that it has entered into four independent agreements with private sellers of oil and natural gas assets located in South Texas, East Texas and the Permian Basin for an aggregate of $686.4 million in cash. Through these transactions, Chesapeake anticipates acquiring an internally estimated 566 billion cubic feet of natural gas equivalent (bcfe) proved, probable and possible (3P) reserves, comprised of 289 bcfe of proved reserves and 277 bcfe of probable and possible reserves. Current net production is an estimated 61 million cubic feet of natural gas equivalent (mmcfe) production per day from 405 existing wells.


04/12/2005 03:50:24 PM
StreetInsider Alert for ISIG

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Insignia Systems (Nasdaq: ISIG) disclosed in a filing that Justin W. Shireman was appointed to serve as the Company's Vice President of Finance, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer. Since April 2003 Mr. Shireman has been the Company's Controller.


~~~ Guidance For Trades ~~~ [ ALT + BACK ARROW ] to Return


ISIG LENSE MTLG PX DJ:INDU ( VNWI LANV MOSS GRA TZOO ATSN TGEN SALM CACS STEM BDK ) (+ Briefing.com) (To Earlier Below)


04/12/2005 03:50:24 PM
StreetInsider Alert for ISIG

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Insignia Systems (Nasdaq: ISIG) disclosed in a filing that Justin W. Shireman was appointed to serve as the Company's Vice President of Finance, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer. Since April 2003 Mr. Shireman has been the Company's Controller.
______

04/12/2005 03:15:15 PM
StreetInsider Alert for LENSE

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Concord Camera Corp. (NASDAQ: LENSE) received a notice from the Nasdaq Listing Qualifications staff indicating the Company has evidenced compliance with all criteria for continued listing on the Nasdaq National Market. Effective with the opening of business on Wednesday, April 13, 2005, the Company's trading symbol will be changed from LENSE to LENS.

______

04/12/2005 03:05:04 PM
Briefing.com: Hourly In Play (R) - 15:00 ET
[Briefing.com Stock Information]


Apr 12, 2005 (Briefing.com via COMTEX) --Hourly In Play (R)

Updated: 12-Apr-05 15:00 ET

14:53

CI CIGNA challenges its early March highs near 92.23/92.74 (92.34 +2.01)

-Update- - - Technical - -

14:52

USPI United Surgical testing March/April/52-wk high at 46.74 (46.75 +0.46)

- Technical -

14:47

Sector Watch

Rate sensitive sectors continue to lead the way: Housing +1.7%, REITs +1.3%, Insurance +1.2%, Banking +1.9%.

14:47

AMGN Amgen - - 50 Day Alert (60.50 +1.17)

- - Technical - - As the stock runs higher with the general market's upward momentum, it sets up for a test of its 50-day simple moving average near 60.70.

14:44

STZ Constellation Brands moves to new high, nearing 52-wk high at 59.50 (59.35 +1.56)

- Technical -

14:33

EXC Exelon rips higher the last half-hour to test its March highs near 47.03/47.18 (47.05 +0.68)

- - Technical - -

14:29

AFC Allmerica penetrates its 2-month resistance area at 36.61/36.86 to notch a new 52-week high (37.03 +0.81)

- - Technical - -

14:28

COMPX Nasdaq Composite sprints to 200 day sma at 1992 and pauses (1988 -4.12)

-Update- Technical -

14:25

C Citigroup - - 200 Day Alert (46.16 +0.55)

- - Technical - - As the stock launches higher over the last 20-minutes, it challenges its 200-day simple moving average at 46.18.

14:22

Financial groups -Banking, Broker/Dealer- spike higher intraday as 10-yr Note yield drops


14:21

KSS Kohl's challenges its session/3-week highs near 52.18/52.24 (52.19 +0.47)

- - Technical - -

14:12

CMA Comerica - - Reversal Alert (54.55 +0.05)

- - Technical - - The stock has jumped into positive territory as it breaks out of its intraday consolidation to notch a fresh session high.

14:09

AAPL Apple Computer notches a fresh session low (42.06 +0.14)

-Update- As the stock notches a fresh session low, it brings into play yesterday's low and its 50-day simple moving average near 41.91.

14:05

Market seeing buy interest following initial downtick following Fed minutes


14:02

RRGB Red Robin Gourmet announces it receives notice of compliance from Nasdaq (52.20 -1.28)


14:00

Treasury Budget -$71.2 bln vs -$69.8 bln


13:55

MTLG Metrologic Inst receives $4.3 mln in initial funding on new contract for its Advanced Optical Systems division (21.14 -0.78)

Co announced that the Advanced Optical Systems Division of its Adaptive Optics Associates subsidiary has received a letter subcontract valued at $4.3 mln which provides initial funding, expected to last through May 31, 2005, from a proprietary customer on a new project. "We anticipate that additional funding will be awarded in the future. The period of performance for the entire contract is expected to last through the end of 2007."

04/12/2005 02:00:21 PM
StreetInsider Alert for MTLG

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Metrologic Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ: MTLG) announced that the Advanced Optical Systems Division of its Adaptive Optics Associates, Inc. ("AOA") subsidiary has received a letter subcontract valued at $4.3 million which provides initial funding, expected to last through May 31, 2005, from a proprietary customer on a new project. We anticipate that additional funding will be awarded in the future. The period of performance for the entire contract is expected to last through the end of 2007. Payments under the contract will be made to AOA on a cost-plus-fee basis.

04/12/2005 01:45:13 PM
StreetInsider Alert for PX

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Praxair, Inc. (NYSE: PX) has finalized an agreement with BP whereby Praxair will supply hydrogen to BP's Whiting, Indiana, refinery over a 20-year period. Praxair will build a new hydrogen plant with a capacity of 20 million cubic feet per day in order to supply the hydrogen to BP and other customers in northern Indiana. The estimated start-up of the plant is in the third quarter of 2006.


04/12/2005 01:40:18 PM
StreetInsider Alert for DJ:INDU

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --04/12: Streetinsider.com's Unusual 11 Afternoon Movers:

VIA NET.WORKS, Inc. (Nasdaq: VNWI) 42.86% HIGHER; Claranet signed a letter of intent to buy the Company's business operations for $26.5 million to $27 million in cash.

LanVision Systems, Inc.'s (Nasdaq: LANV) 28.13% HIGHER; Streamline Health, joined IBM's (NYSE: IBM) ISV Advantage Initiative for SMB.

Mossimo, Inc.'s (Nasdaq: MOSS) 26.20% HIGHER; founder Mossimo Giannulli proposed buying the remaining outstanding shares for $4.00 per share in cash.

W.R. Grace and Co. (NYSE: GRA) 23.13% HIGHER; is seeing momentum on talk that Senator Specter will introduce asbestos bill shortly.

Travelzoo Inc (Nasdaq: TZOO) 17.65% LOWER; reported Q1 lower.

Artesyn Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATSN) 13.87% LOWER; warned for Q1.

Targeted Genetics Corporation (Nasdaq: TGEN) 12.68% HIGHER; Dr. Beverly Davidson published encouraging preclinical results for a potential treatment of Huntington's Disease.

Salem Communications (Nasdaq: SALM) 10.42% HIGHER; Stanford Capital upgraded the stock.

Carrier Access Corporation (Nasdaq: CACS) 10.41% LOWER; warned for Q1.

StemCells Inc (Nasdaq: STEM) 10.13% HIGHER; is seeing momentum after The Wall Street Journal reported that some large US companies are pursuing plans to study stem cells from early-stage human embryos.

The Black & Decker Corporation (NYSE: BDK) 8.76% HIGHER; raised Q1 guidance.


~~~ Expert Assistance ~~~ [ ALT + BACK ARROW ] to Return


STKL PETC PONR IPIX CSCO DJ:INDU ( VNWI LANV MOSS TZOO CACS XING TGEN NICE ) UGI MAMA WSSI LANV TIER NVTL WSSI LANV TIER NVTL (To Earlier Below)


04/12/2005 01:10:14 PM
StreetInsider Alert for STKL

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --SunOpta Inc. (Nasdaq: STKL) announced today that The Toronto Stock Exchange has accepted notice of its intention to purchase for cancellation, by way of a normal course issuer bid, up to 2,813,000 (or approximately 5%) of its issued and outstanding common shares, as of March 31, 2005, in the open market through the facilities of the Toronto Stock Exchange and NASDAQ. Purchases will be made in accordance with applicable rules of the TSX and requirements of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and at the prevailing market price at the time of purchase. No specific number of shares to be acquired has been established. However, purchases will not exceed 2% of the outstanding common shares in any 30 day period. The issuer bid will commence on April 14, 2005 and will expire no later than April 13, 2006.


04/12/2005 12:25:11 PM
StreetInsider Alert for PETC

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --PETA and PETCO Animal Supplies, Inc. (Nasdaq: PETC) announced an agreement that will advance animal welfare across the country. PETA will end its campaign against the national pet food and supply retailer and PETCO will end the sale of large birds in its stores. Under terms of the agreement: PETCO will end the sale of large birds in the company's stores and PETA will end its boycott of PETCO and its protests at the company's stores.


04/12/2005 12:20:07 PM
StreetInsider Alert for PONR

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Pioneer Companies, Inc. (OTCBB: PONR) announced that NASDAQ has approved Pioneer's application to list its common stock on The NASDAQ National Market. The trading symbol for the common stock will be PONR. The Company's common stock currently trades under the same symbol on the over-the-counter market. NASDAQ has advised Pioneer that trading will begin on The NASDAQ National Market at the opening of the market on Thursday, April 14, 20


04/12/2005 11:05:11 AM
StreetInsider Alert for IPIX

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --IPIX Corporation (Nasdaq: IPIX) announced that the United States Penitentiary (USP) in Terre Haute, Ind., has purchased multiple CommandView dome cameras for a pilot program evaluating IPIX's 360-degree technology with the prison's video surveillance needs. The pilot program is the first phase of the USP's initiative to upgrade its video surveillance system.


04/12/2005 10:55:17 AM
StreetInsider Alert for CSCO

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Merrill Lynch upgrades Cisco Systems (Nasdaq: CSCO) from 'neutral' to 'buy'.


04/12/2005 10:30:16 AM
StreetInsider Alert for DJ:INDU

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --04/12: Streetinsider.com's Unusual 8 Morning Movers:

VIA NET.WORKS, Inc. (Nasdaq: VNWI) 47.62% HIGHER; Claranet, an independent and privately held European internet service provider, signed a letter of intent to buy the Company's business operations for $26.5 million to $27 million in cash.

LanVision Systems, Inc.'s (Nasdaq: LANV) 36.97% HIGHER; Joined IBM's (NYSE: IBM) ISV Advantage Initiative for SMB.

Mossimo, Inc.'s (Nasdaq: MOSS) 23.49% HIGHER; founder Mossimo Giannulli is proposing to acquire the outstanding publicly held shares of the Company for $4.00 per share in cash.

Travelzoo Inc (Nasdaq: TZOO) 16.57% LOWER; reported Q1 below the consensus.

Carrier Access Corporation (Nasdaq: CACS) 13.65% LOWER; warned for Q1. In addition, Susquehanna and Janney Montgomery Scott downgraded the stock.

Qiao Xing Universal Telephone, Inc. (Nasdaq: XING) 9.69% HIGHER; will sell 500,000 shares of its common stock at a price of $7.25 per share, which is higher than the current market price.

Targeted Genetics Corporation (Nasdaq: TGEN) 7.04% HIGHER; Dr. Beverly Davidson of the University of Iowa published encouraging preclinical results for a potential treatment of Huntington's Disease.

NICE Systems (Nasdaq: NICE) 7.19% HIGHER; signed a definitive agreement to acquire the assets of Dictaphone's Communications Recording Systems business for approximately $38.5 million. In addtion, CIBC World Markets upgraded the stock.


04/12/2005 10:10:10 AM
StreetInsider Alert for UGI

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --UBS upgrades UGI Corporation (NYSE: UGI) from 'neutral' to 'buy' with a $56 price target.


04/12/2005 09:45:15 AM
StreetInsider Alert for MAMA

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --UPDATE: Mamma.com Inc. (NASDAQ: MAMA) announced today that a previously disclosed informal investigation being conducted by the SEC has recently been converted to a formal investigation. The Company believes that as part of its investigation, the SEC may consider matters related to trading in the Company's securities and whether an individual and persons acting jointly or in concert with him may have had a significant influence on the Company in the past as a result of undisclosed shareholdings. Stock still halted.


04/12/2005 09:45:14 AM
StreetInsider Alert for WSSI

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --ThinkEquity Partners initiated coverage on WebSideStory Inc (Nasdaq: WSSI) with an Accumulate rating; $13.50 price target. The firm views WSSI as positioned at the intersection of BI & On-Demand, differenting it from just a web analytics company.


04/12/2005 09:40:20 AM
StreetInsider Alert for LANV

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --LanVision Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq: LANV), d\b\a Streamline Health, joined IBM's ISV Advantage Initiative for SMB. (NYSE: IBM) The IBM SMB initiative is a program designed to provide independent software vendors with technical and marketing support to help meet the specific information technology needs of small and medium business organizations. Streamline Health plans to utilize IBM's sales and support resources to expand its presence in the healthcare marketplace, with emphasis on small to medium-sized hospital organizations.


04/12/2005 09:35:21 AM
StreetInsider Alert for TIER

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Tier Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq: TIER) announced that it has been awarded an e-procurement system contract by the State of Mississippi Department of Information Technology Services on behalf of the Department of Finance and Administration (DFA). This award is designed as a phased implementation of a General Purchasing System with e-procurement capabilities including integration with the Mississippi Statewide Automated Accounting System (SAAS).


04/12/2005 09:30:44 AM
StreetInsider Alert for NVTL

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Novatel Wireless, Inc. (Nasdaq: NVTL) said it will supply its Merlin U630 PC Data Cards to Vodafone Spain (NYSE: VOD), one of Southern Europe's largest wireless carriers. Novatel Wireless will provide Vodafone Spain with the country's first quad band Universal Mobile Telecommunications Service Wireless PC Card Modem, enabling its 10.9 million customers to access wireless high-speed broadband worldwide.

______

04/12/2005 09:45:14 AM
StreetInsider Alert for WSSI

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --ThinkEquity Partners initiated coverage on WebSideStory Inc (Nasdaq: WSSI) with an Accumulate rating; $13.50 price target. The firm views WSSI as positioned at the intersection of BI & On-Demand, differenting it from just a web analytics company.


04/12/2005 09:40:20 AM
StreetInsider Alert for LANV

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --LanVision Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq: LANV), d\b\a Streamline Health, joined IBM's ISV Advantage Initiative for SMB. (NYSE: IBM) The IBM SMB initiative is a program designed to provide independent software vendors with technical and marketing support to help meet the specific information technology needs of small and medium business organizations. Streamline Health plans to utilize IBM's sales and support resources to expand its presence in the healthcare marketplace, with emphasis on small to medium-sized hospital organizations.


04/12/2005 09:35:21 AM
StreetInsider Alert for TIER

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Tier Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq: TIER) announced that it has been awarded an e-procurement system contract by the State of Mississippi Department of Information Technology Services on behalf of the Department of Finance and Administration (DFA). This award is designed as a phased implementation of a General Purchasing System with e-procurement capabilities including integration with the Mississippi Statewide Automated Accounting System (SAAS).


04/12/2005 09:30:44 AM
StreetInsider Alert for NVTL

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Novatel Wireless, Inc. (Nasdaq: NVTL) said it will supply its Merlin U630 PC Data Cards to Vodafone Spain (NYSE: VOD), one of Southern Europe's largest wireless carriers. Novatel Wireless will provide Vodafone Spain with the country's first quad band Universal Mobile Telecommunications Service Wireless PC Card Modem, enabling its 10.9 million customers to access wireless high-speed broadband worldwide.


~~~ Don't Trade Alone ~~~ [ ALT + BACK ARROW ] to Return


CELG XING WYNN LLL ARTX SWK AC AVII MTMD NCR BTHS CA IMCO MDT DAL CRM MI ELK OTEX EPAY SFN XGEN SANM AAPL CYTC TZOO MTSN CACS CBH ADI CACS MTLK SLNK STM CA GSF LTXX ECR CDX ECR ARNA CMOS BC INGN PMTC APPB CBI JOE CARS CSC MHS PLD ESRX AFCO ARGN HEW NOLD PII SONC TGEN MOSS BDK AMTD BRY MEG ABT WDC NTLI SNRR SHW TLWT RNOW XEC LAKE CEO SWN SALM ALXN BLL QLTI PPDI SKS PBG CUNO CHKP RYL CUZ BIOI DUK SHOP


04/12/2005 09:25:15 AM
StreetInsider Alert for CELG

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --JMP Securities upgrades Celgene Corp (Nasdaq: CELG) from 'market perform' to 'strong buy' and raised its price target from $38 to $44, after the company announced better-than-expected multiple myeloma interim data from its MM-009 and MM-010 trials, both of which will be used as a basis for its US regulatory filing (expected in 2H05).


04/12/2005 09:25:14 AM
StreetInsider Alert for XING

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Qiao Xing Universal Telephone, Inc. (Nasdaq: XING) announced that it has obtained binding ommitments from three individual investors to purchase 500,000 shares of its common stock at a price of $7.25 per share, for gross proceeds of $3,625,000. In addition, the investors will receive 5 year warrants to purchase up to 100,000 shares of common stock at $9.86 per share. The shares and warrants are being offered under the Company's effective shelf registration statement previously filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company placed these shares directly without using a placement agent for the offering.


04/12/2005 09:20:15 AM
StreetInsider Alert for WYNN

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Legg Mason initiates coverage on Wynn Resorts LTD (Nasdaq: WYNN) with an 'buy' rating and $80 price target.


04/12/2005 09:20:15 AM
StreetInsider Alert for LLL

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --L-3 Communications (NYSE: LLL) announced that its L-3 Communications Security & Detection Systems, Inc. subsidiary (L-3 Security & Detection Systems) has received an order from the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) for eXaminer 3DX® explosives detection systems (EDS). This latest order, valued at more than $33 million, highlights the industry's confidence in L-3's system. The eXaminer is one of only two in-line systems certified by the TSA to screen checked baggage. There are currently more than 500 L-3 EDS systems deployed throughout the world.


04/12/2005 09:20:14 AM
StreetInsider Alert for ARTX

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Arotech Corporation (Nasdaq: ARTX) announced that its AoA (Armour of America) subsidiary, belonging to its Armor Division, has received a new order valued at over $1 million for ballistic armor kits.


04/12/2005 09:20:13 AM
StreetInsider Alert for SWK

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --The Stanley Works (NYSE: SWK) announced that Paul M. Isabella, 49, Senior Vice President - Operations, has elected to leave the company effective April 15. Mr. Isabella will join Cooper Industries Ltd. (NYSE: CBE) as Executive Vice President Cooper Connection, a $2.6 billion unit.

______

04/12/2005 09:15:20 AM
StreetInsider Alert for AC

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Alliance Capital (NYSE: AC) said Q1 earnings are expected to be below current analyst expectations of $0.68 per Alliance Holding Unit as a result of: lower than expected investment advisory fees, primarily a function of weak capital market conditions; mark-to-market losses on investments related to employee compensation plans; substantially higher than expected legal fees.


04/12/2005 09:15:19 AM
StreetInsider Alert for AVII

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --AVI BioPharma, Inc. (Nasdaq: AVII) announced the release of extensive data in five presentations on its NEUGENE antisense approach to developing antiviral therapeutics. The presentations will be given at the 18th International Conference on Antiviral Research, in Barcelona, Spain, being held April 10-14.


04/12/2005 09:15:19 AM
StreetInsider Alert for MTMD

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Microtek Medical Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: MTMD) expects to report net revenues for the quarter ended March 31, 2005 of approximately $34 million, versus the consensus of $33 million. The anticipated net revenues for the first quarter of 2005 represent an increase of approximately $4.5 million, or 15 percent, over the first quarter of 2004.


04/12/2005 09:15:18 AM
StreetInsider Alert for NCR

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Teradata, a division of NCR Corporation (NYSE: NCR) announced that Charles Schwab & Co., Inc., the brokerage subsidiary of The Charles Schwab Corporation (NYSE: SCH) has selected Teradata data warehousing technology to support the firm's reporting and analytical needs.

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04/12/2005 09:10:22 AM
StreetInsider Alert for BTHS

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Benthos, Inc. (NASDAQ: BTHS) has announced that Canada Border Services Agency (formerly Canada Customs and Revenue Agency) has accepted shipment of an additional five Stingray remotely operated vehicle (ROV) systems that were ordered in February of this year. This follows rigorous acceptance testing that was conducted by Canada Border Services Agency in March. These five additional Stingray systems will be added to the fleet of five Stingray systems that were deployed by Canada Border Services Agency throughout Canada in March 2004.


04/12/2005 09:10:21 AM
StreetInsider Alert for CA

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Computer Associates International, Inc. (NYSE: CA) expects revenue for the fourth quarter to meet previous guidance of $900 million to $920 million; Expects non-GAAP operating earnings for the fourth quarter to meet previous guidance of $0.19 to $0.20 per share; and made a decision to repatriate approximately $500 million of cash under the American Jobs Creation Act of 2004 which will result in a $35 million or $0.06 per share tax charge for the quarter. Because of this, the Company now expects GAAP earnings (net income) per share in the range of $0.01 to $0.02, compared to previous guidance in the range of $0.07 to $0.08.


04/12/2005 09:10:21 AM
StreetInsider Alert for IMCO

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --IMPCO Technologies Inc. (Nasdaq: IMCO) announced that Nickolai A. Gerde, the company's Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer, had resigned effective April 7, 2005 to pursue other opportunities. The company has commenced a search for Mr. Gerde's replacement, but is pleased to announce that Richard T. Fogarty, the company's Corporate Controller, will assume the role of interim principal financial officer.


04/12/2005 09:10:20 AM
StreetInsider Alert for MDT

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE: MDT) announced that its Restore Rechargeable Neurostimulation System is now available, following approval granted by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The Restore System offers the most powerful and longest-lasting rechargeable battery available. It is a new treatment option for people suffering from complex, difficult-to-treat chronic pain, and those requiring high-power stimulation for pain relief.

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04/12/2005 09:05:18 AM
StreetInsider Alert for DAL

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Fulcrum Global Partners downgraded Delta Air Lines Inc (NYSE: DAL) from Buy to Neutral; target price decreased from $13.00 to $4.00. The firm sees a higher risk of bankruptcy due to: higher fuel costs, further cash needs, weak domestic revenue environment, and low international exposure.

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04/12/2005 09:00:24 AM
StreetInsider Alert for CRM

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Salesforce.com (NYSE: CRM) announced that Nelnet (NYSE: NNI) is personalizing Supportforce, the on-demand customer support solution from salesforce.com, with salesforce.com's tool for rapid and easy customization, Customforce.

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04/12/2005 08:50:17 AM
StreetInsider Alert for MI

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Marshall & Ilsley Corp (NYSE: MI) reports Q1 earnings of $0.73 per share, 2 cents better than the consensus.


04/12/2005 08:50:16 AM
StreetInsider Alert for ELK

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Southwest Securities downgraded ElkCorp (NYSE: ELK) from Strong Buy to Long-Term Buy. The firm lowered their outlook on ELK as they see near-term upside limited due to their anticipation of dampening shingle demand by the end of 2005.


04/12/2005 08:50:16 AM
StreetInsider Alert for OTEX

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --ThinkEquity Partners downgraded Open Text Corporation (Nasdaq: OTEX) from Accumulate to Sourse of Funds. The firm believes execution issues will persist into 2006, therefore lowering their 2005 EPS estimate to 99c from $1.20 and 2006 estimates to $1.03/$475M from $1.24/$488M.


04/12/2005 08:50:14 AM
StreetInsider Alert for EPAY

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Bottomline Technologies (NASDAQ: EPAY) announced that the British Pipeline Agency Ltd. has selected Bottomline's BACSTEL-IP electronic payments service, WINBACS-IP. Bottomline's BACSTEL-IP solutions are used by more than 3,000 organizations in support of industry-wide compliance efforts prior to the December 31, 2005 BACS migration deadline.


04/12/2005 08:50:13 AM
StreetInsider Alert for SFN

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Spherion Corporation (NYSE: SFN) said revenues for the first quarter will be slightly below its original revenue guidance of $510 to $530 million. Management's original guidance for earnings from continuing operations of $0.03 to $0.07 per share, adjusted for the restructuring costs of $0.02 per share announced today, is $0.01 to $0.05 per share. Based on lower revenue trends and severance costs, management anticipates results will be at the low end of the adjusted range. (consensus is $524.58M and $0.05).

The company also said it will reduce costs in reaction to a customer loss.

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04/12/2005 08:45:13 AM
StreetInsider Alert for XGEN

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Xenogen Corporation (Nasdaq: XGEN) announced a partnership with MIR Preclinical Services (MIR), a contract research organization, for the purchase and sublicense of Xenogen's biophotonic imaging, or real-time in vivo imaging, technologies. MIR is now authorized to use Xenogen's proprietary technology to conduct pre- clinical research for pharmaceutical and biotech companies, across a variety of therapeutic areas excluding infectious diseases.


04/12/2005 08:45:13 AM
StreetInsider Alert for SANM

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Sanmina-SCI Corporation (Nasdaq: SANM) and Bell Microproducts (Nasdaq: BELM) announced an affordable and easy-to-use Entry Network Attached Storage (NAS) box that simplifies storage management for small businesses, homes and media centers. Sanmina-SCI has designed the NAS product incorporating the Intel 80219 processor based on Intel XScale® technology and Intel® 31244 4-port SATA controller. The entry NAS box will be available through Bell Microproducts, the preferred North America and Europe distributor.


04/12/2005 08:45:12 AM
StreetInsider Alert for AAPL

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) announced that Mac OS X Server version 10.4 "Tiger" will be available on Friday, April 29, at the same time as the Mac OS X version 10.4 "Tiger" desktop version. The next major release of Apple's award-winning, UNIX-based server operating system, Tiger Server integrates over 100 leading open source projects and standards-based software applications with easy-to-use management tools that make it easy to deploy for Mac®, Windows and Linux clients. Tiger Server has over 200 new features including native support for 64-bit applications, ideal for high performance computing; iChat Server to deploy secure instant messaging within an organization; Weblog Server that makes it simple to publish and share weblogs (blogs); and Xgrid(TM) to make it easy to turn a group of Macs into a virtual supercomputer.

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04/12/2005 08:40:12 AM
StreetInsider Alert for CYTC

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Cytyc Corporation (Nasdaq: CYTC) announced it has placed the first ThinPrep Imaging System in the United Kingdom (U.K.) at The Doctors Laboratory (TDL) in London. TDL is the largest clinical pathology service in the independent healthcare sector in the U.K. The TDL contract with Cytyc U.K. Ltd. is for a term of five years, and represents a potential of approximately 200,000 Imaged ThinPrep® Pap Tests during that period.


04/12/2005 08:40:12 AM
StreetInsider Alert for TZOO

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Travelzoo Inc (Nasdaq: TZOO) reports Q1 earnings of $0.10 per share and revenue of $11.2 million versus the consensus of $0.14 and $12.51M. Earnings may not be comparable due to charge.


04/12/2005 08:40:11 AM
StreetInsider Alert for MTSN

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Mattson Technology, Inc. (Nasdaq: MTSN) announced the shipment of an enhanced version of its Aspen III Highlands system to SEMATECH in Austin, TX. The 300 mm system is being installed at ATDF, SEMATECH's R&D wafer fab, which also supports external customers. Mattson's strip system will be used by SEMATECH's Interconnect Division to develop advanced interconnect structures for 45 nanometer (nm) and below chip generations targeted for Keff of 2.5 and lower. Mattson and SEMATECH will work together to develop and optimize low sidewall damage ash processes for the integration of copper with porous ultra-low dielectric constant (ULK) materials.


04/12/2005 08:40:11 AM
StreetInsider Alert for CACS

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Janney Montgomery Scott downgraded Carrier Access Corporation (Nasdaq: CACS) from Buy to Neutral. The firm based their downgrade on CACS' disappointing 1Q revenue outlook.


04/12/2005 08:35:18 AM
StreetInsider Alert for CBH

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Stanford Group initiated coverage on Commerce Bancorp, Incorporated (NYSE: CBH) with a Hold rating; $34.00 price target. The firm believes the shares are fully valued at current levels.


04/12/2005 08:35:17 AM
StreetInsider Alert for ADI

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Robert W. Baird initiated coverage on Analog Devices Inc (NYSE: ADI) with an Outperform rating; $46.00 price target. The firm notes that normalization of inventories in the channel, an expected rebound in sequential rev growth this qtr, and a decline in internal inventories suggest that ADI is past a trough and the stock has limited downside.


04/12/2005 08:35:17 AM
StreetInsider Alert for CACS

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Susquehanna downgraded Carrier Access Corporation (Nasdaq: CACS) from Net Positive to Net Neutral. The firm based their downgrade on CACS' Q1 pre-announcement.

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04/12/2005 08:30:29 AM
StreetInsider Alert for MTLK

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Needham downgraded Metalink Ltd. (Nasdaq: MTLK) from Buy to Hold.


04/12/2005 08:30:28 AM
StreetInsider Alert for SLNK

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Kaufman Brothers downgraded SpectraLink Corporation (Nasdaq: SLNK) from Buy to Hold; $13.00 price target. The firm based their downgrade on lowered expectations and concerns about the overall enterprise spending environment


04/12/2005 08:30:18 AM
StreetInsider Alert for STM

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Robert W. Baird upgraded STMicroelectronics NV (NYSE: STM) from Neutral to Outperform; target price increased from $18.00 to $21.00. The firm based their upgrade on strong reception for STM's 90nm technology at customers leading to multiple design wins, as well as attractive valuation following the recent pullback.

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04/12/2005 08:25:18 AM
StreetInsider Alert for CA

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Deutsche Bank initiated coverage on Computer Associates International Inc (NYSE: CA) with a Hold rating; $29.00 price target. According to the firm, CA is in the early stages of a turnaround story and will likely benefit from positive fundamentals, but they are hesitant on the timing for cash flow improvement.


04/12/2005 08:25:17 AM
StreetInsider Alert for GSF

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --GlobalSantaFe Corp. (NYSE: GSF) intends to issue in a public offering approximately $1.2 billion of its ordinary shares to the public under the company's existing shelf registration statements. The ordinary shares are expected to be priced on April 14. The closing of the offering is expected on April 20.


04/12/2005 08:25:17 AM
StreetInsider Alert for LTXX

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Deutsche Bank initiated coverage on LTX Corporation (Nasdaq: LTXX) with a Hold rating. The firm based their Hold rating on valuation, as LTXX is a small supplier in a very competitive area. They would become more aggressive with the improvement of industry fundamentals.


04/12/2005 08:20:18 AM
StreetInsider Alert for ECR

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --JMP Securities initiated coverage on ECC Capital Corporation (NYSE: ECR) with a Market Perform rating; $8.00 price target.

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04/12/2005 08:20:18 AM
StreetInsider Alert for CDX

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --RBC Capital Markets downgraded Catellus Development Corporation REIT (NYSE: CDX) from Outperform to Sector Perform. The firm thinks the general willingness among competitors to accept low risk-adjusted development yields, and to focus on volume rather than absolute yield has created a hyper-competitive bidding process for development opportunities.


04/12/2005 08:20:18 AM
StreetInsider Alert for ECR

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --JMP Securities initiated coverage on ECC Capital Corporation (NYSE: ECR) with a Market Perform rating; $8.00 price target.


04/12/2005 08:20:17 AM
StreetInsider Alert for ARNA

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Needham initiated coverage on Arena Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: ARNA) with 'buy' rating and $8 price target.


04/12/2005 08:20:16 AM
StreetInsider Alert for CMOS

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Deutsche Bank initiated coverage on Credence Systems Corporation (Nasdaq: CMOS) with a Hold rating; $9.00 price target. The firm assigned their Hold rating as they believe that the dilution from the NPTest acquisition will weigh on their outlook for CMOS.

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04/12/2005 08:15:19 AM
StreetInsider Alert for BC

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Salomon Smith Barney downgraded Brunswick Corporation (NYSE: BC) from Buy to Hold. The firm sees risk to near term eps as a result of dealer checks that indicate high fuel prices that are beginning to impact consumer demand and rising materials costs


04/12/2005 08:15:19 AM
StreetInsider Alert for INGN

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Rodman & Renshaw downgraded Introgen Therapeutics Inc (Nasdaq: INGN) from Market Perform to Market Underperform. The firm thinks that with pending filings of Taxotere and Erbitux for locally advanced SCCHN, SCCHN may no longer be regarded as a critically unmet medical need. They remain doubtful that INGN's accelerated approval request to the FDA can be granted.


04/12/2005 08:15:18 AM
StreetInsider Alert for PMTC

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --PTC (Nasdaq: PMTC) announced that Lockheed Martin's (NYSE: LMT) Engineering Process Improvement Center Mechanical Subcouncil has selected Pro/ENGINEER as its preferred Mechanical Computer Aided Design software. Pro/ENGINEER is a 3D product design solution that helps companies develop detailed, intuitive, and realistic digital product representations.


04/12/2005 08:15:17 AM
StreetInsider Alert for APPB

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Applebee's International, Inc. (Nasdaq: APPB) announced that it has reached an agreement with The Ozark Apples, Inc., an existing Applebee's franchisee, to acquire the assets of 12 Applebee's restaurants. The 12 restaurants, one of which is currently under development and expected to open in June, are located in Missouri, Kansas and Arkansas.


04/12/2005 08:15:17 AM
StreetInsider Alert for CBI

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --CB&I (NYSE: CBI) has been awarded a lump-sum turnkey contract valued at approximately US$100 million for the design and construction of storage tanks at a new liquefied natural gas import terminal in Fujian Province, Peoples Republic of China. The facility will be owned and operated by CNOOC Fujian LNG Co. Ltd., a co-investment of China National Offshore Oil Corporation and Fujian Investment and Development Corporation.


04/12/2005 08:10:17 AM
StreetInsider Alert for JOE

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Ryan Beck initiated coverage on Saint Joe Company (NYSE: JOE) with an Outperform rating; $81.00 price target.


04/12/2005 08:10:17 AM
StreetInsider Alert for CARS

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Capital Automotive REIT (Nasdaq: CARS) raised its quarterly dividend of $0.4380 per common share of beneficial interest for the first quarter ending March 31, 2005. The dividend is payable on May 20, 2005 to shareholders of record as of May 10, 2005.


04/12/2005 08:10:16 AM
StreetInsider Alert for CSC

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Wachovia Securities initiated coverage on Computer Sciences Corporation (NYSE: CSC) with an Outperform rating. The firm sees CSC as having a large market opportunity for IT and business process outsourcing, contract award momentum, model stability from its government business, improving cash flow generation, and attractive valuation.


04/12/2005 08:10:15 AM
StreetInsider Alert for MHS

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --UBS Securities initiated coverage on Medco Health Solutions Inc (NYSE: MHS) with a Buy rating; $67.00 price target. The firm is expecting MHS to benefit from the shift to mail from retail, generic introductions, and the focus on developing their specialty business with Accredo, their recent acquisition.


04/12/2005 08:05:18 AM
StreetInsider Alert for PLD

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --RBC Capital Markets downgraded Prologis (NYSE: PLD) from Outperform to Sector Perform. The firm downgrade the stock believing several factors will cause its shares to perform in-line with the broader R.E.I.T. sector, including full current valuation, focus on lower multiple fee income and increased competition for development opportunities.


04/12/2005 08:05:07 AM
StreetInsider Alert for ESRX

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --UBS Securities initiated coverage on Express Scripts Inc (Nasdaq: ESRX) with a Neutral rating; $95.00 price target. The firm notes that ESRX's exposure to mail is smaller than its peers.


04/12/2005 08:05:07 AM
StreetInsider Alert for AFCO

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Adams Harkness assumed coverage on Applied Films Corporation (Nasdaq: AFCO) with a Buy rating; $28.00 price target. The firm is assuming coverage on the stock believing that AFCO will benefit from increased bookings in 2H05.


04/12/2005 08:01:36 AM
StreetInsider Alert for ARGN

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Amerigon Incorporated (Nasdaq: ARGN) said its proprietary Climate Control Seat system has been selected to be offered as an option on Lincoln's newest luxury sedan, the Lincoln Zephyr, scheduled to be in showrooms this fall.


04/12/2005 08:01:32 AM
StreetInsider Alert for HEW

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Hewitt Associates (NYSE: HEW) said it will provide comprehensive HR business process outsourcing services to PepsiCo (NYSE: PEP). Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.


04/12/2005 08:01:31 AM
StreetInsider Alert for NOLD

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Noland Company (Nasdaq: NOLD) signed an agreement of merger with WinWholesale, a national wholesale distributor. Under the terms of the agreement, which was unanimously approved by a special committee of Noland's board of directors as well as by both companies' boards, WinWholesale will pay $74 in cash for each Noland Company share and assume Noland's outstanding debt at closing.

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04/12/2005 08:01:27 AM
StreetInsider Alert for PII

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Polaris Industries Inc. (NYSE: PII) announced the appointment of Bennett Morgan as president and chief operating officer, effective immediately.


04/12/2005 08:01:27 AM
StreetInsider Alert for SONC

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Sonic Corp. (Nasdaq: SONC) announced that its Board of Directors increased the company's stock repurchase authorization from $60 million to a total of $150 million and has extended its term to August 31, 2006.


04/12/2005 08:01:26 AM
StreetInsider Alert for TGEN

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Targeted Genetics Corporation (Nasdaq: TGEN) said Dr. Beverly Davidson of the University of Iowa published encouraging preclinical results for a potential treatment of Huntington's Disease. Dr. Davidson is an academic collaborator of Sirna Therapeutics (Nasdaq: RNAI), Targeted Genetics' partner for the development of novel therapies for the treatment of HD. The results of the independent preclinical study demonstrate that RNA interference therapy may have a beneficial impact on the symptoms and progression of HD. The study appeared April 5 in the Online Early Edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and will be published in the April 19th issue of PNAS.


04/12/2005 08:01:25 AM
StreetInsider Alert for MOSS

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Mossimo, Inc.'s (Nasdaq: MOSS) founder Mossimo Giannulli today announced that he is proposing to acquire the outstanding publicly held shares of the Company for $4.00 per share in cash.


04/12/2005 08:01:15 AM
StreetInsider Alert for BDK

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --The Black & Decker Corporation (NYSE: BDK) raises Q1 guidance; sees Q1 EPS of $1.33-to-$1.35, excluding the favorable impact of an insurance settlement. This represents an increase from previous guidance of $1.05-to-$1.10 and the consensus of $1.07. The Corporation expects that the increase in earnings guidance for the first quarter will increase full-year results by a similar amount, and is comfortable with securities analysts' mean EPS estimate of $1.67 for the second quarter.


04/12/2005 08:01:14 AM
StreetInsider Alert for AMTD

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --AmeriTrade (Nasdaq: AMTD) reports Q2 earnings of $0.17 per share, 1 cent better than estimates. Q2 revenues were $232.5 million, higher than analysts estimates of $231.63 million. AMTD reaffirms full-year earnings outlook.


04/12/2005 08:01:06 AM
StreetInsider Alert for BRY

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Raymond James upgrades Berry Petroleum (NYSE: BRY) from Market Perform to Outperform on valuation.


04/12/2005 08:01:05 AM
StreetInsider Alert for MEG

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Media General (NYSE: MEG) reports Q1 earnings of $0.39 per share, in-line with estimates. Q1 revenues were $217.9 million, higher than analysts estimates of $216.15 million.


04/12/2005 08:01:04 AM
StreetInsider Alert for ABT

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Abbott Laboratories (NYSE: ABT) reports Q1 earnings of $0.58 per share, in-line with estimates. Revenues came in at $5.383 billion versus the consensus of $5.28 billion. Sees Q2 EPS of $0.56-$0.58 versus the consensus of $0.58. Sees FY EPS of $2.47-$2.53 versus the consensus of $2.49.


04/12/2005 08:01:03 AM
StreetInsider Alert for WDC

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --J.P. Morgan downgrades Western Digital (NYSE: WDC) from Neutral to Underweight after recent run in stock price.


04/12/2005 08:01:03 AM
StreetInsider Alert for NTLI

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Morgan Stanley downgrades NTL Inc (Nasdaq: NTLI) from Overweight to Equalweight on concerns over recent decline in carrier business-Price target $75.


04/12/2005 08:01:02 AM
StreetInsider Alert for SNRR

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Jefferies initiates coverage on Sunterra Corporation (Nasdaq: SNRR) with a 'buy' rating and $21 price target.


04/12/2005 08:00:56 AM
StreetInsider Alert for SHW

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --J.P. Morgan upgrades Sherwin-Williams (NYSE: SHW) from Neutral to Overweight on positive growth outlook for 2005.


04/12/2005 08:00:56 AM
StreetInsider Alert for TLWT

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Morgan Stanley upgrades Telewest Global (Nasdaq: TLWT) from Equalweight to Overweight on attractive risk/reward outlook.


04/12/2005 08:00:55 AM
StreetInsider Alert for RNOW

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Baird initiates coverage on Rightnow Tech (Nasdaq: RNOW) with an 'outperform' rating and $15 price target.

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04/12/2005 08:00:51 AM
StreetInsider Alert for XEC

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --RBC Capital Markets upgrades Cimarex Energy (NYSE: XEC) from Underperform to Sector Perform on valuation.


04/12/2005 08:00:49 AM
StreetInsider Alert for LAKE

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Friedman Billings downgrades Lakeland Industries (Nasdaq: LAKE) from Outperform to Market Perform-Price target $19.


04/12/2005 08:00:48 AM
StreetInsider Alert for CEO

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --CNOOC Limited (NYSE: CEO) said through its wholly owned subsidiary CNOOC Belgium BVBA, it has signed an agreement with a Canada based company, MEG Energy Corp. to acquire a 16.69% stake in MEG. The Company paid 150 million Canadian dollars for the stake.


04/12/2005 08:00:47 AM
StreetInsider Alert for SWN

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --RBC Capital Markets upgrades Southwestern Energy (NYSE: SWN) from Underperform to Sector Perform on positive outlook.


04/12/2005 08:00:46 AM
StreetInsider Alert for SALM

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Stanford Capital upgrades Salem Communications (Nasdaq: SALM) from Sell to Buy on positive outlook from religious radio.


04/12/2005 08:00:45 AM
StreetInsider Alert for ALXN

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Alexion Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: ALXN) announced that it has completed enrollment of the pivotal Phase III TRIUMPH efficacy trial of eculizumab in patients with the chronic orphan blood disorder Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria.


04/12/2005 08:00:44 AM
StreetInsider Alert for BLL

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Credit Suisse FB upgrades Ball Corp (NYSE: BLL) from Underperform to Neutral on valuation.


04/12/2005 08:00:44 AM
StreetInsider Alert for QLTI

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --QLT Inc. (Nasdaq: QLTI) announced that Michael J. Doty will step down as Senior Vice President Finance and Chief Financial Officer, effective April 15, 2005.


04/12/2005 08:00:44 AM
StreetInsider Alert for PPDI

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Jefferies & Co downgrades PPD Inc. (Nasdaq: PPDI) from Buy to Hold on valuation-Price target $50.


04/12/2005 08:00:43 AM
StreetInsider Alert for SKS

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Credit Suisse FB downgrades Saks Inc (NYSE: SKS) from Neutral to Underperform, saying shares could be worth up to $22 in a takeover.


04/12/2005 08:00:42 AM
StreetInsider Alert for PBG

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Pepsi Bottling (NYSE: PBG) reports Q1 earnings of $0.15 per share, 3 cents better than estimates. Q1 revenues were $2.15 billion, higher than analysts estiamtes of $2.12 billion. PBG sees full-year 2005 earnings between $1.78-1.84, in-line with estimates of $1.80.


04/12/2005 08:00:41 AM
StreetInsider Alert for CUNO

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Merrill Lynch upgrades CUNO Inc (Nasdaq: CUNO) from Neutral to Buy on valuation-Price target $60.


04/12/2005 08:00:41 AM
StreetInsider Alert for CHKP

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Jefferies & Co upgrades Check Point Software (Nasdaq: CHKP) from Hold to Buy on positive fundamentals-Price target $26.


04/12/2005 08:00:40 AM
StreetInsider Alert for RYL

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --The Ryland Group (NYSE: RYL) filed a $1 billion shelf offering to periodically sell debt, common stock, preferred stock, debt warrants and other securities.


04/12/2005 08:00:32 AM
StreetInsider Alert for CUZ

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Wachovia Securities reiterates Outperform and adds Cousins Properties (NYSE: CUZ) to the Focus List.

______*Refresh Your Browser, More To Come *

04/12/2005 08:00:21 AM
StreetInsider Alert for BIOI

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --BioSource Int'l (Nasdaq: BIOI) announced that its Board of Directors voted unanimously to reject an unsolicited proposal from Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. (Amex: BIO; Amex: BIOB), dated April 6, 2005, to acquire all of BioSource's outstanding shares at $8.50 per share in cash.


04/12/2005 08:00:20 AM
StreetInsider Alert for DUK

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --CIBC World Markets downgrades Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK) from Sector Outperformer to Sector Performer on valuation-Price target $29.


04/12/2005 08:00:19 AM
StreetInsider Alert for SHOP

Apr 12, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Shopping.com (Nasdaq: SHOP) announced that it has been selected by the world's leading interactive service provider, America Online, to power the AOL shopping channel in France.

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Snap back rally tomorrow? If not tomorrow then soon. That's what I am expecting now based on my short term charts of the SMH/SOX versus various indicators. Of course the market could completely breakdown but what I would like to see is a gap lower tomorrow that should allow for the market to spring back some.

The put to call ratio has been high for quite some time now. But with today's close we also got Volatility readings on the VXO that are more than 10% above the volatility index on the 10 day sma. In addition the SMH/SOX is approaching an RSI of 30 which over the last 2+ years has always resulted in a tradable rally.

Whatever you do though, do not buy on margin, the market is now at greater risk than ever of a complete breakdown in my humble opinion with lower prices inevitable over the next 18 months.

Take a look at the charts for the short term situtation:

Some intermediate term indicators that are highly effective for market timing the SMH based on using the NASDAQ New Highs and similar indexes are shown here. To go long: First wait for the NASDAQ New Highs to set a new low and reverse itself from an approach of the lower Bollinger Band. To go short: Wait for the NASDAQ new highs and other similar new high indices to set a new high print at, near, or above the upper Bollinger Band. I am also now using the NASDAQ McClellan Oscillator (Ratio Adjusted) ($NAMO) to confirm the above - Overbought above 25 - Oversold below -25. These charts do not update until after market close.





Short Term Indicators vs. the SMH; any index can be used - The first set of short term indicators I use are based on the put to call ratio. To go long it is best to wait for the put to call ratio to close over 1.0. On the chart below the put to call ratio now updates intraday but it is not always accurate! Intraday reading of the put to call ratio can be found here updated every half hour after the open:

http://www.cboe.com/data/IntraDayVol.aspx

The more days in a row the put to call ratio prints over 1.0 this the more likely the bottom will be a strong one. The link above shows intraday readings of the P/C ratio.

Also closes on the put to call ratio below 0.50 and sometimes a bit above are indicative of a short term top. Watch the simple moving averages as well because periods of too much buying of puts or calls will almost certainly bring about market bottoms and tops respectively. On the CPC/VIX ratio; this is largely a longer term indicator where investors are likely to make more money on the long side once the short-term 21 day sma has crossed above the 200 day sma. The reverse is true as well. An investor will likely make more money on the short side when the 21 day sma crosses below the 200 day sma:





Next I use the VIX and VXO can help to refine decision making on tops and bottoms upon reverses from upper or lower Bollinger Bands especially when the index stretches more than 10% above or below its 10 day simple moving average.







Also TRIN and TRINQ readings on the 5 and 10 day simple moving averages over 1.5 are bullish while readings below 0.85 are bearish. These readings don't happen often especially with the 10 day sma. They are also early indicators so the market can continue higher or lower for a while but they are reliable for indicating market turns that are about to take place.





Adv/Dec ratio overbought above 1.25. Oversold below 0.75 on the 10 day SMA's:

[ReturntoSender]

Final - StreetInsider Alerts 04/14/2005 @ 11:00:37 PM
By StreetInsider.com / Briefing.com, Investing-News.Com
Apr 14, 2005, 23:32

SAP KEX DJ:INDU ( SYX MCRI ) EXTR NETL MERX CREE SUNW (To Earlier Below)


04/14/2005 11:00:37 PM
Briefing.com: Hourly In Play (R) - 23:00 ET
[Briefing.com Stock Information]


Apr 14, 2005 (Briefing.com via COMTEX) --Hourly In Play (R)

Updated: 14-Apr-05 23:00 ET

16:45

JH John H. Harland raises guidance above consensus (36.50 -0.57)

Co raises guidance for Q1 (Mar), to EPS of $0.59-0.62 from $0.50-0.59 vs. $0.53 Reuters Estimates consensus; co raises guidance for FY05 (Dec), to EPS of $2.46-2.51 from $2.38-2.43 vs. $2.40 consensus.

16:40

EXTR Extreme Networks misses by $0.04, ex items; guides Q4 revs below consensus (5.00 -0.16)

Reports Q3 (Mar) earnings of $0.01 per share, excluding non-recurring items, $0.04 worse than the Reuters Estimates consensus of $0.05; revenues rose 3.4% year/year to $91.9 mln vs the $102.2 mln consensus. Co issues downside guidance for Q4, sees Q4 revs of 93-98 vs. $105.86 mln consensus.

16:38

PMRY Pomeroy Computer awarded 5-year $40 mln contract by Highmark


16:37

NETL NetLogic Microsystems beats by $0.27, ex-items; increases Q2 rev guidance (13.73 )

Reports Q1 (Mar) earnings of $0.33 per share, $0.27 better than the Reuters Estimates consensus of $0.06; revenues rose 163.6% year/year to $21.8 mln, "partly driven by a one-time event and a customer pull-in," vs the $15.9 mln consensus. Co issues upside guidance for Q2, sees revs of 16.7-17.7 vs. $16.67 mln consensus.

16:36

CCRN Cross Country announces 3.0 mln share offering under existing shelf

16:31

SHRP Sharper Image to delay 10-K filing (15.62 -0.26)


16:30

CREE Cree beats by a penny; guides in-line (22.30 -0.67)

Reports Q3 (Mar) earnings of $0.27 per share, $0.01 better than the Reuters Estimates consensus of $0.26; revenues rose 25.2% year/year to $96.7 mln vs the $95.6 mln consensus. Co issues in-line guidance for Q4, sees EPS of $0.25-0.28 vs. $0.27 consensus; sees Q4 revs of $98-102 mln vs. $99.30 mln consensus.

16:12

MROI MRO Software reports in-line, ex items; issues mixed guidance

Reports Q2 (Mar) earnings of $0.04 per share, excluding non-recurring items, in line with the Reuters Estimates consensus of $0.04; revenues fell 3.1% year/year to $43.2 mln vs the $42.9 mln consensus. Co issues mixed guidance for Q3, sees EPS of $0.14-0.16 vs. $0.17 consensus; sees Q3 revs of $49-51 mln vs. $49.13 mln consensus.

16:10

RMBS Rambus reports $0.01 below consensus

Reports Q1 (Mar) earnings of $0.04 per share, $0.01 worse than the Reuters Estimates consensus of $0.05; revenues rose 2.6% year/year to $39.6 mln vs the $38.3 mln consensus.

16:05

SUNW Sun Microsystems reports $0.02 below consensus, ex-items

Reports Q3 (Mar) loss of $0.02 per share, ex-itmes, $0.02 worse than the Reuters Estimates consensus of ($0.00); revenues fell 1.0% year/year to $2.63 bln vs the $2.72 bln consensus. SUNW reports gross margin 41.3% vs 41.8% Briefing.com consensus.

16:04

NBIX Neurocrine announces submission of new drug app for Indiplon capsules (37.55 -0.75)


16:02

ITRI Itron reaches agreement with Avista Utilities (30.70 -0.31)

Co announces a contract with Avista Utilities to install automated meter reading technology for 107,000 customers in Northern Idaho. Meter readers will not need to enter customers' property to gain access to record energy consumption data.

15:50

Earnings Calendar

After the close, watch for earnings releases from BUCY, CREE, DGII, JBHT, MROI, NETL, RMBS, REMC, and SUNW. Tomorrow morning, look for results from C, GE, and MAT, among others.

15:49

Afternoon Wrap: Breakdown day-- Technical --

Trade has been volatile over the last three weeks but confined within well defined ranges. Today the indices staged a breakdown below the range floors to establish fresh multi-month lows. A limited intraday bounce was noted in early afternoon trade but steady selling over the last 90 minutes has resulted in new lows. Losses are broad based with substantial losses in Steel -6.4%, Airline -4%, Healthcare -3.8%, Chemical -3.2%, Housing -3%, Transportation -3% Disk Drive -2.6%, Cyclical -2.6% and Paper -2.2%. Little is on the plus side except for Drug +0.6%.
______

04/14/2005 05:30:16 PM
StreetInsider Alert for SAP

Apr 14, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --SAP AG (NYSE: SAP) comments on media coverage today has incorrectly speculated that it would be open to merger conversations with competitor Oracle (Nasdaq: ORCL).

SAP said it is not in merger talks with Oracle, and there is absolutely no substance to this situation other than media speculation.


04/14/2005 05:20:59 PM
StreetInsider Alert for KEX

Apr 14, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Kirby Corporation (NYSE: KEX) expects its 2005 first quarter net earnings to exceed $.50 per share, above earnings guidance of $.42 to $.48 per share, and the consensus of $0.44.


04/14/2005 05:05:35 PM
StreetInsider Alert for DJ:INDU

Apr 14, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --The Dow finished 125.18 points lower to close at 10,278, the Nasdaq fell 27.66 points to close at 1,946 and the S&P 500 lost 11.74 points to close at 1,162.

The markets closed out the trading session in the red today despite signs of an improved labor market as investors were concerned over economic growth and corporate profits as the earnings season kicks off.

Volume was heavy with 2.35 billion shares trading on the NYSE and 1.89 billion on the Nasdaq. Decliners outpaced advancers today by a margin of 25:7 on the NYSE and by a margin of 23:7 on the Nasdaq.

In individual stories, Systemax Inc. (NYSE: SYX) closed 23.57% higher after reporting strong Q4 results. On the downside, Monarch Casino & Resort Inc (Nasdaq: MCRI) closed 23.03% lower after the Reno City Council decided not to approve a change in the city's master plan that could have paved the way for Monarch to build a $100M casino resort.

Tomorrow traders will be watching for data on Export Prices, Import Prices, NY Empire State Index, Industrial Production, Capacity Utilization, and Consumer Sentiment. Export Prices, Import Prices, and the NY Empire State Index are due to hit the wires at 8:30 A.M. Industrial Production and Capacity Utilization are scheduled for release at 9:15 A.M, and Consumer Sentiment is expected at 9:45 A.M.


04/14/2005 04:40:23 PM
StreetInsider Alert for EXTR

Apr 14, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Extreme Networks, Inc. (Nasdaq: EXTR) reports Q3 earnings of $0.01 per share, 4 cents worse than estimates. Revenues came in at $91.9 million versus the consensus of $102.52 million.


04/14/2005 04:35:19 PM
StreetInsider Alert for NETL

Apr 14, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Netlogic Microsystems Inc (Nasdaq: NETL) reported Q1 EPS of $0.33, 27 cents better than estimates. Reveneus came in at $21.9 million versus the consensus of $15.97 million. Company cites one-time event and a customer pull-in.


04/14/2005 04:10:17 PM
StreetInsider Alert for MERX

Apr 14, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Merix Corporation (NASDAQ: MERX) announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire the operations of Eastern Pacific Circuits Limited (EPC), a Hong Kong based supplier of printed circuit boards. The purchase price is $120.0 million cash at closing plus earn-out consideration of up to $8.0 million based on calendar 2005 adjusted EBITDA. Merix intends to finance the transaction with a combination of available cash and debt. The transaction is expected to close in June 2005.


04/14/2005 04:10:16 PM
StreetInsider Alert for CREE

Apr 14, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Cree Inc (Nasdaq: CREE) reported Q3 EPS of $0.27, 1 cent better than estimates. Reveneus came in at $96.7 million versus the consensus of $95.56 million. Sees Q4 EPS of $0.25-$0.28 versus the consensus of $0.27.


04/14/2005 04:05:20 PM
StreetInsider Alert for SUNW

Apr 14, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Sun Microsystems Inc (Nasdaq: SUNW) reported a Q3 loss of $0.02, 2 cents worse than estimates. Reveneus came in at $2.63 billion versus the consensus of $2.74 billion.


~~~ What To Look For ~~~ [ ALT + BACK ARROW ] to Return


FLIR TEVA CRDN EV AVN BRL DJ:INDU ( SYX MCRI JDAS SGTL OCA DRL LAVA ATI VSGN KMG MNT ) (+ Briefing.com 03:00:33 PM ) (To Earlier Below)


04/14/2005 03:45:13 PM
StreetInsider Alert for FLIR

Apr 14, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --FLIR Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: FLIR) announced that the Board of Directors has approved the repurchase of up to 3.0 million shares of its common stock and up to $100 million of its outstanding convertible notes. Such repurchases may be carried out through open market purchases, block trades and in privately negotiated transactions, as appropriate and applicable.
______

04/14/2005 03:10:46 PM
StreetInsider Alert for TEVA

Apr 14, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Teva Pharmaceutical (Nasdaq: TEVA) said results from an independent retrospective evaluation of a novel treatment protocol with COPAXONE demonstrated long-term suppression of clinical and MRI activity in patients with very aggressive relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. COPAXONE was given in an open-label manner as sequential combination therapy with mitoxantrone, then continued as monotherapy for up to five years. This combination stabilized or improved disability, significantly suppressed relapses, and exhibited no MRI evidence of new brain lesions.
______

04/14/2005 03:00:33 PM
Briefing.com: Hourly In Play (R) - 15:00 ET
[Briefing.com Stock Information]


Apr 14, 2005 (Briefing.com via COMTEX) --Hourly In Play (R)

Updated: 14-Apr-05 15:00 ET

14:46

NIHD NII Holdings sees downside pressure setting it up for a test of its March swing low around 53.00/53.25 (53.34 -1.99) -- Technical --


14:12

EV Eaton Vance Corp authorizes 8 mln share buyback (22.60 +0.16)


13:52

CREE Previewing Cree (22.56 -0.41)

After Thursday's close Cree, Inc. will report its fiscal Q3 (Mar) results. Last quarter the company disappointed with its guidance for fiscal Q3 and its stock dropped 26.2% the day after its 2Q05 report. For added perspective on the market's expectations this time around and a glimpse of CREE's trading history leading up to, and following, its results for the past 8 quarters, be sure to visit Briefing.com's Looking Ahead page.

13:42

COMPX Nasdaq Composite holds on initial test of support at 1948 (1953.64 -20.73) -- Technical --

-Update- Index staged a breakdown today but held at support mentioned in 10:15 update at 1960/1957. However, it failed to push back above the breakdown point at 1968/1969 with it recently probing secondary support highlighted at 1948. First step to improving the intraday bias is a push back above the 1957/1960 area. Failure leaves the door open to further weakness with the next minor supports at 1942 and 1936/1934

13:37

MSTR MicroStrategy slides back to support at March low/200 day sma at 53.45/53.21-- session low 53.40 (53.50 -0.72) -- Technical --

-Update-

13:33

AVN AVANIR Pharma announces Neurodex clinical trial data (2.62 +0.10)

Co announces that data from its Phase III clinical trial examining Neurodex in the treatment of pseudobulbar affect in patients with multiple sclerosis were presented today at the 2005 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Neurology. In his presentation, Dr. Panitch stated that 84% of patients treated with Neurodex reported that their condition improved, compared to 49% of those given a placebo. Of the side effects reported in 5% or more of the patients, a statistically significant difference between Neurodex and placebo was observed only for dizziness.

13:32

Basic Material Spdrs - XLB - 200 Day Alert-- Technical --

As the XLB extends its downtrend today, it slips under its 200-day simple moving average (28.25) and challenges its support area marked by the October high and January low at 28.15/28.18. Click for chart.

13:24

BRL Barr Pharmaceuticals granted final approval for generic version of Allegra-D 12 hr extended-release tablets (51.95 +1.42)


13:23

S&P 500 vacillating just above Jan/March lows at 1163 -- session low 1164.51 (1165.03 -8.76) -- Technical --


13:19

BRCM Broadcom slides lower intraday probing its March low of 29.10 (29.06 -0.62) -- Technical --


13:18

DD DuPont moves to another new session low, nears 200 day ema and Jan gap support (47.46 -1.23) -- Technical --

The stock is down for the fifth session in a row and has dropped roughly 8% during this period. The recent new session low has brought its 200 day ema and Jan gap support into play at 47.42/47.34 (session low 47.44). The bottom of the gap is at 47.23.

13:18

PSYS Psychiatric Solutions - - 50 Day Alert (42.15 -2.38) -- Technical --

The stock is setting up for a test of its 50-day simple moving average near 41.78 as it extends its intraday weakness today.

13:09

PHM Pulte Homes pushes to fresh session low, bumping into support March range floor 71.18/71.09 (71.26 -3.24) -- Technical --


12:57

Point Gainers List: Drug/Biotech

Stocks posting the largest gains on a point basis include: KMG +5.28, SSP +3.38, CSL +2.78, MNT +2.37, MRX +2.30, WBSN +2.00, CNCT +1.97, SHW +1.81, PEP +1.47, BRL +1.35, AGN +1.20, GTK +1.12, STH +1.12, BPT +1.09, HITK +1.08.

12:51

Point Losers List

Issues pacing the way on a point basis today include: SHLD -6.24, MCRI -5.16, SGTL -5.03, CME -4.67. CRS -4.55, CMC -4.10, PD -4.10, IMDC -3.98, RGS -3.65, ETN -3.53, INFY -3.41, CNC -3.28, AET -3.26, ININ -3.17, CLF -3.14, WLP -3.08, ARLP -3.04, IR -3.04, GNI -3.04, AAPL -2.95, KBH -2.95, AGP -2.90, UNP -2.84, FDG -2.71, FDX -2.71, CTSH -2.67, WLT -2.67, CAT -2.63, ATI -2.57, PHM -2.57, DRL -2.48, ELOS -2.33, RIMM -2.30, YELL -2.30, DOW -2.22, CNI -2.22, JBHT -2.11, WYNN -2.05, PII -2.08, SCHN -2.08, JDAS -2.06, CTX -2.00.

12:48

CME Chicago Mercantile notches a fresh session low (181.04 -4.71) -- Technical --

As the stock notches a fresh session low, it brings into play its April low of 180.79 and its 200-day simple moving average near 178.27.

12:45

MON Monsanto - - 50 Day Alert (59.40 -1.88) -- Technical --

The stock slips lower intraday to challenge its 50-day simple (59.40) and exponential (59.26) moving averages.

______

04/14/2005 03:00:10 PM
StreetInsider Alert for CRDN

Apr 14, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Ceradyne, Inc. (Nasdaq: CRDN) warns for Q1; expects to report first quarter 2005 sales of approximately $69 million, resulting in fully diluted earnings of approximately 22 to 24 cents per share. Consensus is $79.55M and $0.35.

04/14/2005 02:25:16 PM
StreetInsider Alert for EV

Apr 14, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --The Board of Directors of Eaton Vance Corp. (NYSE: EV) authorized the repurchase of up to 8,000,000 shares of the Company's non-voting common stock. The Company repurchased 7,354,149 shares under the previous October 22, 2003 stock repurchase authorization.


04/14/2005 01:40:15 PM
StreetInsider Alert for AVN

Apr 14, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --AVANIR Pharmaceuticals (AMEX: AVN) announced that data from its Phase III clinical trial examining Neurodex in the treatment of pseudobulbar affect in patients with multiple sclerosis were presented today at the 2005 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Neurology in Miami, Florida. In the double-blind study, 150 MS patients with PBA were randomized to receive either placebo or Neurodex on a 12 hour dosing schedule for 90 days. In his presentation, Dr. Panitch stated that 84% of patients treated with Neurodex reported that their condition improved, compared to 49% of those given a placebo. Of the side effects reported in 5% or more of the patients, a statistically significant difference between Neurodex and placebo was observed only for dizziness.


04/14/2005 01:36:01 PM
StreetInsider Alert for BRL

Apr 14, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Barr Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NYSE: BRL) received final approval from the FDA for its generic version of Aventis Pharmaceuticals' Allegra-D 12 Hour Extended-Release Tablets following the termination of the 30-month stay. The Company is the first applicant to file an ANDA containing a paragraph IV patent challenge on the patents relating to the Allegra-D 12 Hour product. On April 11, 2005 the Company announced that the FDA had determined that Barr is entitled to 180 days of sole exclusivity under the provisions of Hatch-Waxman.v


04/14/2005 01:30:16 PM
StreetInsider Alert for DJ:INDU

Apr 14, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --04/14: Streetinsider.com's Unusual 11 Afternoon Movers:

Systemax Inc. (NYSE: SYX) 29.46% HIGHER; reported strong Q4 results.

Monarch Casino & Resort Inc (Nasdaq: MCRI) 21.56% LOWER; the Reno City Council decided not to approve a change in the city's master plan that could have paved the way for Monarch to build a $100M casino resort.

JDA Software Group Inc. (Nasdaq: JDAS) 15.71% LOWER; warned for Q1.

Sigmatel Inc (Nasdaq: SGTL) 15.20% LOWER; uncertain outlook after partner Apple Computer?s (Nasdaq: AAPL) earnings and iPod numbers.

OCA, Inc. (NYSE: OCA) 12.91% HIGHER; reached an agreement to settle lawsuits and pending disputes with between its subsidary and 60 affiliated practitioners.

Doral Financial Corporation (NYSE: DRL) 12.89% LOWER; Merrill Lynch downgraded the stock

Magma Design Automation Inc. (Nasdaq: LAVA) 10.65% HIGHER; is seeing a rebound from yesterday's low as the Company announced it will repurchase up to 2 million shares of common stock.

Allegheny Tech (NYSE: ATI) 10.20% LOWER; Merrill Lynch downgraded the stock.

Vasogen (Nasdaq: VSGN) 9.49% HIGHER; Adams Harkness started coverage on the stock with a Strong Buy rating.

Kerr-McGee Corp. (NYSE: KMG) 6.99% HIGHER; entered into a settlement with Mr. Carl Icahn, certain affiliated funds and JANA Partners LLC and dismissed its claim.

Mentor Corp (NYSE: MNT) 6.84% HIGHER; FDA determined that the Company's silicone gel-filled breast implants are safe.


~~~ Consistency In Trading ~~~ [ ALT + BACK ARROW ] to Return


GCI DXCM BBH EPD MSTR (To Earlier Below)


04/14/2005 01:00:26 PM
Briefing.com: Hourly In Play (R) - 13:00 ET
[Briefing.com Stock Information]


Apr 14, 2005 (Briefing.com via COMTEX) --Hourly In Play (R)

Updated: 14-Apr-05 13:00 ET

12:57

Point Gainers List: Drug/Biotech

Stocks posting the largest gains on a point basis include: KMG +5.28, SSP +3.38, CSL +2.78, MNT +2.37, MRX +2.30, WBSN +2.00, CNCT +1.97, SHW +1.81, PEP +1.47, BRL +1.35, AGN +1.20, GTK +1.12, STH +1.12, BPT +1.09, HITK +1.08.

12:51

Point Losers List

Issues pacing the way on a point basis today include: SHLD -6.24, MCRI -5.16, SGTL -5.03, CME -4.67. CRS -4.55, CMC -4.10, PD -4.10, IMDC -3.98, RGS -3.65, ETN -3.53, INFY -3.41, CNC -3.28, AET -3.26, ININ -3.17, CLF -3.14, WLP -3.08, ARLP -3.04, IR -3.04, GNI -3.04, AAPL -2.95, KBH -2.95, AGP -2.90, UNP -2.84, FDG -2.71, FDX -2.71, CTSH -2.67, WLT -2.67, CAT -2.63, ATI -2.57, PHM -2.57, DRL -2.48, ELOS -2.33, RIMM -2.30, YELL -2.30, DOW -2.22, CNI -2.22, JBHT -2.11, WYNN -2.05, PII -2.08, SCHN -2.08, JDAS -2.06, CTX -2.00.

12:48

CME Chicago Mercantile notches a fresh session low (181.04 -4.71) -- Technical --

As the stock notches a fresh session low, it brings into play its April low of 180.79 and its 200-day simple moving average near 178.27.

12:45

MON Monsanto - - 50 Day Alert (59.40 -1.88) -- Technical --

The stock slips lower intraday to challenge its 50-day simple (59.40) and exponential (59.26) moving averages.

12:29

TSRA Tessera Technologies spikes down intraday, holds on initial test of support at April low at 41.40 -- session low 41.42 (41.70 -1.43) -- Technical --


12:18

ETN Eaton trading down almost 6%, nearing potential support area (59.42 -3.64) -- Technical --

-Update- As the stock loses almost 6% today after reporting earnings this morning, it sets up for a test of potential support near its August reaction lows at 59.20/59.23.

12:14

Market broadly lower amid stronger volume

All the market averages, except for the S&P 500, have pushed to fresh multi-month lows today with the decline coming on stronger volume (NYSE 797 mln, Nasdaq 852 mln). Pacing the way today are: Steel -4.5%, Healthcare -3.4%, Gold -2.3%, Transportation -2.3%, Chemical -2.2%, Airline -2%, Cyclical -1.9%, Housing -1.5%, Paper -1.2%, Disk Drive -1.1%. On the plus side are energy (Oil +0.7%, Natural Gas +0.5%, Oil Service +0.4%) and Drug +0.6%.

12:02

ENB Enbridge and PetroChina sign Gateway Pipeline Cooperation Agreement (51.19 +0.26)

Co announced that it has entered into a memorandum of understanding with PetroChina to cooperate on the development of the Gateway Pipeline and supply of crude oil from Canada to China.

11:42

NAV Navistar resumes trading (36.00 +1.53)

-Update-

11:41

DXCM -- IPO opens for trading at $12.08 (12.05 +0.05)

See 10:17 comment for full write-up.

11:34

WYNN Wynn Resorts breaks down to fresh session low - 62.36- eyeing this wk/three month low at 62.23 (62.38 -2.39) -- Technical --


11:15

Sector Watch: Software Index -GSO- and Software HOLDRs -SWH- hold on initial test of support-- Technical --

The GSO index (153.49, -0.8%) is attempting to recovery after testing its 200 day sma at 152.92 (session low 152.84). The Software HOLDRs (SWH 34.37, -0.7%) has stabilized after probing its seven month low from March at 34.20 (session low 34.22).

11:13

COMPX Nasdaq Composite holds at support, testing breakdown point (1968.03 -6.34) -- Technical --

-Update- The index held at support mentioned in the 10:15 update at 1960/1957 and has rebounded back to today's breakdown point at 1968/1969. A breach and sustained action above here and the 1973/1975 area improves the very short term pattern.

11:04

AGP Amerigroup - - 200 Day Alert (32.35 -3.05) -- Technical --

As the stock comes under heavy pressure today with the rest of its Insurance - Health group, it tests its 200-day simple moving average near 32.40.

10:56

Energy sectors finding interest, new session high for Oil Service-- Technical --


10:48

HGSI Human Genome reports positive results of Phase 2 clinical trial of Albuferon (11.11 -0.15)

Co announced the results of a Phase 2 clinical trial of Albuferon in patients with chronic hepatitis C who are naive to interferon-alpha treatments. The results demonstrate that Albuferon is well tolerated, has a prolonged half-life and shows robust antiviral activity, with durable dose-dependent reductions in hepatitis C viral load.

10:35

RIMM Research In Motion testing 50 day sma support at 73.00 (73.06 -1.49) -- Technical --

-Update-

10:34

TTWO Take-Two extends today's slide, nearing April low at 25.26 (25.32 -0.48) -- Technical --


10:32

THQI THQ Inc slumps after break of 50 day sma (27.42 -0.66) -- Technical --

After two days of vacillating near its 50 day sma THQI has broken down to its 50 day ema at 27.41 (session low 27.41). Next support on a penetration is the late March/early April range floor at 27.27/27.23.

10:31

X U.S. Steel - - 200 Day Alert (44.79 -1.71) -- Technical --

As the stock extends its daily downtrend, it tests its 200-day simple moving average near 44.83.

10:27

Volume Alert: Crude Oil spikes to highs of day after holding near $49.80 support... $50.70 +0.48... see 10:19 comment

Intraday range has been $49.75 to $50.80. Crude has spiked a dollar over the past 10 min.

10:26

Dow hovering just slightly above it April/five month lows at 10360/10356, next minor support in the 10315 area (10366.71 -37.02) -- Technical --


10:25

Dow Jones Transportation Index - - TRAN - - approaching potential support area-- Technical --

As the TRAN extends its downtrend, it approaches a potential support area marked by its 200-day moving averages (simple - 3459, exponential - 3473) and its January lows near 3455. Click for chart.

10:21

AJG Arthur J. Gallagher announces sale of two Medical Claim Management Operations (27.81 -0.03)

Co announced the sale of Gallagher Benefit Administrators and Northshore International Insurance Services, no terms.

10:17

DXCM Dexcom IPO prices at low end; makes glucose monitoring systems for diabetes patients (12.00 )

DexCom prices its IPO at $12, at the low end of the expected range of $12-$14. The co is a medical device company focused on continuous glucose monitoring systems for people with diabetes. It has developed proprietary technology for two systems: a short-term system with a sensor that can be inserted by a patient and used continuously for three days, and a long-term system with a sensor that can be implanted by a physician in a short outpatient procedure requiring only local anesthesia. Both sensors wirelessly transmit the patient's blood glucose levels to receiver, which allows the patient to view real-time and trended blood glucose information. The co filed an application for premarket approval for its short-term system in March 2005. The co is conducting an 80-patient clinical trial for its long-term system, with the goal of filing a PMA next year. Dexcom is a development stage co, and has not generated any revenue to date.... Development stage medical device cos are always difficult to predict. We are a bit surprised there was not more interest here given the small size of the deal at 4.7 mln shares (Piper Jaffray, SC Cowen co-leads) and that there have been few IPOs lately to whet traders' appetites.

10:17

UNP Union Pacific setting up for a test of its 50-day simple moving average near 64.87 (64.90 -2.60) -- Technical --

-Update- Mentioned earlier as it was dropping towards its 50-day exponential ma near 66.00, the stock is now testing its 50-day simple ma at 64.87 and its mid-March reaction low near 64.68.

10:15

COMPX Nasdaq Composite slips to lowest level since last Oct (1962.80 -11.57) -- Technical --

-Update- Initial support is in the 1960/1957 area followed by 1948. Intraday resistance is at today's breakdown point at 1968/1969.

10:12

WFMI Whole Foods breaks 50 day and low for the week, next support at the April low of 99.28 (99.67 -0.45)


10:12

QLGC QLogic - - Relative Weakness (37.59 -1.16) -- Technical --

The stock displays relative weakness as it resumes yesterday's downward momentum to a fresh 2-month low.

10:11

QCOM Qualcomm notches a fresh session low near yesterday's breakdown low of 32.89 (32.93 +0.3) -- Technical --

-Update-

10:10

ANTP 50 Day-Alert -- Phazar slips back toward support at its 50 day ema at 23.61-- session low 23.72 (23.74 -1.11)

Next support is at its 50 sma at 22.27

10:09

HTLD Heartland Express reports EPS in line, revenues slightly below consensus (17.95 -0.28)

Reports Q1 (Mar) earnings of $0.20 per share, in line with the Reuters Estimates consensus of $0.20; revenues rose 76.5% year/year to $188.7 mln vs the $120 mln consensus.

10:06

Sector Watch

Overall trade is mixed to slightly lower but the sector action is weak with Healthcare pacing the way -2.7% along with Gold -2.5%, Steel -2.1%, Transportation -1.4%, Chemical -09%, Cyclical -0.9%, Banking -0.6%. Topping the gainers list is Oil +1%, Natural Gas +0.7% and yesterday winner Drug +0.5%.

10:00

WLP WellPoint - - 50 Day Alert (123.49 -2.91) -- Technical --

The stock is currently testing its 50-day simple moving aveage near 123.11. Note the 50-day exponential is near 122.48.

09:54

UNP Union Pacific - 50 Day Alert (66.00 -1.50) -- Technical --

- - As the rails come under pressure today, this stock falls to a fresh 3-week low to test its 50-day exponential moving average near 64.89.

09:52

HET Harrah's poised to pullback on a daily chart (71.32 -0.37) -- Technical --

- - Outlook: Would consinder entering a short in the name as it slips under yesterday's low of 71.50, the first lower low in about 8 sessions. A stop loss above this morning's high near 71.69 would be prudent. Note volume is relative low this morning.

09:50

COMPX Nasdaq Composite lifts slightly off session low -1969- after probing the March low at 1968 (1972.59 -1.78) -- Technical --


09:49

NVEC NVE Corp attempting to stabilize after nearing its 52-wk low from March at 16.76-- session low 16.84 (17.20 -0.20) -- Technical --


09:46

KMG Kerr-McGee gaps over 10% higher near its March highs (80.70 +6.73) -- Technical --

-Update- After gapping over 10% higher near its March highs around 83.00, it has recently pulled back under its April high at 81.00.

09:44

SHW Sherwin-Williams - - Relative Strength (45.94 +2.43) -- Technical --

-Update- The stock launches over 5% higher this morning, bringing its Feb and March highs near 46.50 into play.

09:43

SCHN Schnitzer Steel extends slide to 5 days in a row, nearing supports at it Dec -30.34- and Jan -30.06- lows (30.42 -0.62) -- Technical --


09:41

KLAC KLA-Tencor shows relative weakness as it slips under yesterday's low of 42.38 (42.29 -0.30) -- Technical --


09:38

MER 200 Day-Alert -- Merrill Lynch vacillating near its 200 day sma for the third day in a row at 55.11 (55.03 -0.27) -- Technical --

The low for the week/five month comes into play at 54.86.

09:34

INFY 200 Day-Alert -- Infosys gaps down, attempting to stabilize near support at its 200 day sma at 62.31 (62.54 -3.57) -- Technical --
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04/14/2005 12:35:11 PM
StreetInsider Alert for GCI

Apr 14, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI) authorizes additional $1 billion buyback.


04/14/2005 12:05:16 PM
StreetInsider Alert for DXCM

Apr 14, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --The IPO for DexCom, Inc. (NASDAQ: DXCM) is open for trading. The stock is trading at $11.02 after pricing at $12. The 4,700,000 is being led by Piper Jaffray with SG Cowen & Co., LLC as the co-lead manager. William Blair & Company, L.L.C. and First Albany Capital Inc. are co-managers.

DXCM is a medical device maker that focuses on sugar-monitoring systems for diabetics.


04/14/2005 11:35:21 AM
StreetInsider Alert for BBH

Apr 14, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Adams Harkness is re-launching coverage of the biotechnology sector today, initiating coverage on 11 companies in their Emerging Therapeutics universe. STRONG BUY ratings: AtheroGenics (Nasdaq: AGIX) $23 target, Cell Genesys (Nasdaq: CEGE) $13 target, Hollis-Eden Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: HEPH) $24 target, Introgen Therapeutics (Nasdaq: INGN) $18 price target, Vasogen (Nasdaq: VSGN) $12 target; BUY ratings: ARIAD (Nasdaq: ARIA), Progenics (Nasdaq: PGNX), Vertex (Nasdaq: VRTX); MARKET PERFORM ratings: CancerVax (Nasdaq: CNVX), Kosan (Nasdaq: KOSN), Regeneron (Nasdaq: REGN).


04/14/2005 09:35:06 AM
StreetInsider Alert for EPD

Apr 14, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Oppenheimer initiated coverage on Enterprise Products Partners LP (NYSE: EPD) with a Buy rating; $28.00 price target. The firm based their Buy rating on the GulfTerra acquisition as a catalyst for further organic growth and believes current valuation represents a good entry point.


04/14/2005 09:30:27 AM
StreetInsider Alert for MSTR

Apr 14, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Wedbush Morgan upgrades MicroStrategy (Nasdaq: MSTR) from 'sell' to 'hold'.


~~~ Guidance For Trades ~~~ [ ALT + BACK ARROW ] to Return


ACO NSI TW MAG CALP ORBT BSX PEGA BRCM PLUS IONA VLI KMG MCY STK NYT NAV LU MRK PBI GLOW CSCO SHW ENMD CRIS EGHT BXG VFC AEOS BIVN IDIX FCF NABI GW LSTR DAL CBJ SYMM NRMX SPPI ALTR RIMM CHIR RMBS IVD GTK DXCM PII KMG DAB MUR CAH SSP DJ FCS BBGI PEP ETN ARO RIMM CFC OSTK QCOM QCOM CLX RIMM MWD CHIR TARO AMD BSX LAVA FDC UNH EMMS LUV BBY WGAT LRCX MLM


04/14/2005 09:20:24 AM
StreetInsider Alert for ACO

Apr 14, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Wedbush Morgan initiated coverage on AMCOL International Corporation (NYSE: ACO) with a Hold rating.


04/14/2005 09:20:05 AM
StreetInsider Alert for NSI


Apr 14, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Avondale Partners initiated coverage on Nutri/System Incorporated (AMEX: NSI) with a Market Outperform rating; $9.00 price target. The firm noted that NSI is a turnaround and share expansion story in the diet industry.

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04/14/2005 09:15:21 AM
StreetInsider Alert for TW

Apr 14, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Legg Mason initiated coverage on 21st Century Insurance Group (NYSE: TW) with a Hold rating. As competition heats up further within personal lines of insurance, investors seeking growth are likely to focus on regional companies that can produce above-average growth by entering new markets. In addition, the cost savings associated with TW's direct distribution platform should allow its pricing to remain both profitable and attractive to policyholders, even as competition intensifies.

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04/14/2005 09:10:20 AM
StreetInsider Alert for MAG

Apr 14, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Magnetek, Inc. (NYSE: MAG) warns for Q3; expects to report fiscal 2005 third-quarter revenue of $56 to $58 million and a net loss of $.06 to $.08 per share from continuing operations, primarily due to customer program push-outs, moving costs and shipping delays associated with two factory relocations, and legal costs related to patent arbitration. (consensus is $62.00M and a gain of $0.03 per share).


04/14/2005 09:10:19 AM
StreetInsider Alert for CALP

Apr 14, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Caliper Life Sciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: CALP) announced that, as anticipated, it has entered into a new two-year multi-million dollar minimum purchase agreement with Amphora Discovery Corp. Under the new agreement, Amphora has agreed to purchase a minimum total dollar amount per year in LabChip products, with the majority of the yearly purchase commitment to be met through datapoint purchases. Amphora is a privately held pharmaceutical research company skilled in the science and art of pathway-based drug discovery. It uses more than 20 of Caliper's microfluidics-based screening systems to perform "high precision" screening against pharmaceutical drug target classes including kinases, proteases, phosphatases, ion channels and GPCRs.


04/14/2005 09:10:18 AM
StreetInsider Alert for ORBT

Apr 14, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Orbit International Corp. (NASDAQ: ORBT) received a new contract award for approximately $400,000 from General Dynamics Canada, Ltd. for the initial production requirement for Commander's Display Units and Central Control Panels that will be integrated into the Mobile Gun System vehicle.


04/14/2005 09:10:06 AM
StreetInsider Alert for BSX

Apr 14, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Boston Scientific Corporation (NYSE: BSX) announced that it has received U.S. Food and Drug dministration (FDA) approval for its Liberte bare-metal coronary stent system. The Company plans to launch the product immediately in the United States.

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04/14/2005 09:05:14 AM
StreetInsider Alert for PEGA

Apr 14, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Pegasystems Inc. (NASDAQ: PEGA) announced that it will be delivering its PegaRULES Process Commander BPM platform to Rabobank Nederland, the largest financial service provider in the Dutch market and the largest Internet bank in Europe. The agreement was signed in the fourth quarter of 2004.

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04/14/2005 09:00:27 AM
StreetInsider Alert for BRCM

Apr 14, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Broadcom Corporation (Nasdaq: BRCM) entered into sales agreements with D&H Distributing and Partners in Europe to sell Broadcom RAIDCore RAID controller cards.


04/14/2005 09:00:26 AM
StreetInsider Alert for PLUS

Apr 14, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --ePlus inc. (Nasdaq: PLUS) announced that Noritsu America Corporation has deployed the ePlus Web Portal, a comprehensive website management system designed by ePlus Consulting, a division of ePlus Systems, Inc. Noritsu's new ePlus Web Portal serves as its external web site and its extranet for sales and administration communications. The user-friendly portal allows non-technical personnel to access and publish Web-based content quickly and easily without the need for additional IT support.

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04/14/2005 08:55:08 AM
StreetInsider Alert for IONA

Apr 14, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --IONA Technologies (NASDAQ: IONA) announced that Mr. Peter M. Zotto, President & Chief Operating Officer, has been appointed Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and elected to IONA's Board of Directors with immediate effect. Mr. Zotto succeeds Dr. Chris Horn, IONA's co-founder, who assumes the role of non-executive Vice-Chairman of the Board.

The company also reported first quarter revenues of $16.3 million. On a U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) basis, IONA reported net income of $0.00 per share.
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04/14/2005 08:50:16 AM
StreetInsider Alert for VLI

Apr 14, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Oppenheimer initiated coverage on Valero LP (NYSE: VLI) with a Buy rating; $67.00 price target. The firm believes the company can continue to grow through acquisitions and believes the current price represents a good entry point.


04/14/2005 08:50:15 AM
StreetInsider Alert for VLI

Apr 14, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Kerr-McGee Corp. (NYSE: KMG) entered into a settlement with Mr. Carl Icahn, certain affiliated funds and JANA Partners LLC. As a result, the company will dismiss its complaint with prejudice filed March 10, 2005, in the United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma.


04/14/2005 08:50:15 AM
StreetInsider Alert for MCY

Apr 14, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Legg Mason initiated coverage on Mercury General Corporation (NYSE: MCY) with a Buy rating; $62.00 price target.


04/14/2005 08:50:14 AM
StreetInsider Alert for STK

Apr 14, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Needham downgraded Storage Technology Corporation (NYSE: STK) from Buy to Hold. The firm based their downgrade on lower preliminary Q1 results.


04/14/2005 08:45:15 AM
StreetInsider Alert for NYT

Apr 14, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --New York Times (NYSE: NYT) reports Q1 earnings of $0.30 per share, in-line with estimates. Revenues came in at $805.6 million versus the consensus of $812.5 million.


04/14/2005 08:45:14 AM
StreetInsider Alert for NAV

Apr 14, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Navistar (NYSE: NAV) reports Q1 earnings of $0.27 per share, 4 cents better than estimates. Sees FY05 EPS of $4.60-$5.00 versus the consensus of $4.85.


04/14/2005 08:45:13 AM
StreetInsider Alert for LU

Apr 14, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Lucent Technologies (NYSE: LU) announced that it has been selected by T-COM, the fixed line division of Deutsche Telekom AG, to maintain and support Juniper Networks broadband access and IP routing platforms in T-Com's IP network.


04/14/2005 08:40:14 AM
StreetInsider Alert for MRK

Apr 14, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE: MRK) announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved another new indication for HYZAAR, Merck's fixed-dose combination antihypertensive drug (losartan potassium-hydrochlorothiazide tablets). HYZAAR is now indicated to reduce the risk of stroke in patients with hypertension and left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), but there is evidence that this benefit does not apply to black patients.


04/14/2005 08:40:14 AM
StreetInsider Alert for PBI

Apr 14, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Group 1 Software, Inc., a Pitney Bowes Company (NYSE: PBI) and Agilysys, Inc. (Nasdaq: AGYS)announced that Agilysys will incorporate Group 1's Universal Coder address hygiene software into its Lodging Management System (LMS), one of the hospitality industry's leading property management systems.


04/14/2005 08:40:13 AM
StreetInsider Alert for GLOW

Apr 14, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Sony Electronics Inc., and Glowpoint, Inc. (NASDAQ: GLOW) introduced the first complete standards-based IP video communications solution designed to meet the specific needs of television broadcasters. The bundled offering combines Sony's state-of-the-art line of audio/visual communication systems with GlowPoint's patent-pending advanced IP-based video applications and network services. The solution will be demonstrated at the National Association of Broadcasters Show (NAB) taking place April 18-21 at the Las Vegas Convention Center in booth #SU6406.


04/14/2005 08:40:12 AM
StreetInsider Alert for CSCO

Apr 14, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Cisco Systems (NASDAQ: CSCO) announced a definitive agreement to acquire privately-held Topspin Communications, Inc. of Mountain View, Calif. Topspin is the leading provider of server fabric switches, a new class of server networking equipment, providing a high performance, programmable infrastructure for grid and utility computing, clustered enterprise applications, and server virtualization. Server fabric switches are designed to connect servers together into a grid, and then provide network and storage connectivity to that server grid.


04/14/2005 08:40:12 AM
StreetInsider Alert for SHW

Apr 14, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE: SHW) sees Q1 EPS of $0.58 per share versus the consensus of $0.48.

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04/14/2005 08:35:09 AM
StreetInsider Alert for ENMD

Apr 14, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --EntreMed, Inc. (Nasdaq: ENMD) announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted orphan drug designation for the Company's lead compound, 2- methoxyestradiol (2ME2 or Panzem), for the treatment of ovarian cancer.


04/14/2005 08:35:09 AM
StreetInsider Alert for CRIS

Apr 14, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Curis, Inc. (NASDAQ: CRIS) amended its first agreement with Genentech, Inc. (NYSE: DNA) to extend Genentech's funding of the cancer therapeutic development collaboration that is ongoing between the two companies. An additional $2 million will be provided to support Curis personnel and other third party resources dedicated to developing Curis' Hedgehog inhibition technologies for the treatment of solid tumor cancers.

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04/14/2005 08:30:25 AM
StreetInsider Alert for EGHT

Apr 14, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --8x8, Inc. (Nasdaq: EGHT) announced it has reduced the price of the Packet8 Broadband Consumer VideoPhone from $250 (after rebate) to $99 and decreased the monthly service fee from $29.95 to $19.95, effective immediately.

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04/14/2005 08:25:17 AM
StreetInsider Alert for BXG

Apr 14, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Oppenheimer upgraded Bluegreen Corporation (NYSE: BXG) from Neutral to Buy. The firm believes the market has more than discounted the bad news and is overlooking strong fundamentals and a greatly improved outlook.


04/14/2005 08:25:16 AM
StreetInsider Alert for VFC

Apr 14, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Prudential Securities initiated coverage on VF Corporation (NYSE: VFC) with an Overweight rating; $66.00 price target. In the firm's opinion, VFC is one of the best-run in the textile apparel group, has deep pockets and has demonstrated an ability to successfully acquire large and small brands alike by improving growth and margins for many of its tgts.


04/14/2005 08:25:16 AM
StreetInsider Alert for AEOS

Apr 14, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Goldman Sachs initiated coverage on American Eagle Outfitters Inc (Nasdaq: AEOS) with an In-Line rating. The firm believes the company is now well-positioned to continue gaining market share from other specialty retailers such as Gap, Inc., and Express, as well as dept stores, especially in denim. They see the stock reaching $33 over the medium term.


04/14/2005 08:20:18 AM
StreetInsider Alert for BIVN

Apr 14, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --CIBC World Markets initiated coverage on Bioenvision Inc (Nasdaq: BIVN) with an Outperform rating; $12.00 price target. The firm believes BIVN is significantly undervalued at current levels and does not reflect clofarabines sales potential (they estimate peak WW sales of ~$425 mln). In addition, they feel near-term upside is possible, based on E.U. approval of clofarabine.

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04/14/2005 08:20:17 AM
StreetInsider Alert for IDIX

Apr 14, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Idenix Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: IDIX) announced preliminary phase IIa clinical trial data for valopicitabine (NM283) in treatment naive genotype 1 hepatitis C patients. In this phase IIa clinical trial, 9 patients receiving the combination of valopicitabine and pegylated interferon have reached 24 weeks of treatment, and achieved a mean reduction in serum HCV RNA of 4.5 log10, or more than 99.99 percent.


04/14/2005 08:20:16 AM
StreetInsider Alert for FCF

Apr 14, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Keefe Bruyette & Woods initiated coverage on First Commonwealth Financial Corporation (NYSE: FCF) at Market Perform; $14.50 price target. The firm stated that the shares are fairly valued.


04/14/2005 08:20:16 AM
StreetInsider Alert for NABI

Apr 14, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Nabi Biopharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: NABI) agreed to sell 2.875% Convertible Senior Notes due 2025 in a private offering that will result in gross proceeds of $100 million. Nabi Biopharmaceuticals had previously announced that it would seek $125 million in a private offering but has elected to limit the transaction based on current market conditions for convertible debt.


04/14/2005 08:20:16 AM
StreetInsider Alert for GW

Apr 14, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --JP Morgan initiated coverage on Grey Wolf, Inc. (AMEX: GW) with a Neutral rating.


04/14/2005 08:15:20 AM
StreetInsider Alert for LSTR

Apr 14, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Landstar System (Nasdaq: LSTR) reports Q1 earnings of $0.37 per share, 10 cents better than estimates. Revenues came in at $502.2 million versus the consensus of $497 million. Says it is comfortable with Q2 range of analyst estimates of $0.31-0.36 and sees results at the middle to upper end of that range (consensus is $0.34)


04/14/2005 08:15:19 AM
StreetInsider Alert for DAL

Apr 14, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --UBS Securities downgraded Delta Air Lines Inc (NYSE: DAL) from Buy to Neutral. The firm based their downgrade on credit card/cash flow issues, which add considerably to the complexity of the challenge DAL faces in avoiding from Ch 11.


04/14/2005 08:15:19 AM
StreetInsider Alert for CBJ

Apr 14, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --CIBC World Markets upgraded Cambior Inc. (AMEX: CBJ) from Sector Underperform to Sector Perform; $2.75 price target. The firm based their upgrade on the stock's valuation.


04/14/2005 08:15:07 AM
StreetInsider Alert for SYMM

Apr 14, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Syntroleum Corporation (Nasdaq: SYNM) received approval from the Federal Government of Nigeria for the assignment of interest to it and other participants in Oil Mining Lease 113, offshore Nigeria. Additionally, the participants previously received approval of their required drilling permit for the first appraisal well. Syntroleum last year acquired the rights to the 413,000-acre block, including the Aje Field, a discovered oil and gas accumulation from Yinka Folawiyo Petroleum Co. Ltd., the Nigerian operator of record. The company views Aje as a potentially significant commercial opportunity for its Gas-to-Liquids technology.


04/14/2005 08:15:06 AM
StreetInsider Alert for NRMX

Apr 14, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --UBS Securities initiated coverage on Neurochem Inc. (Nasdaq: NRMX) with a Neutral rating; $14.00 price target.


04/14/2005 08:10:16 AM
StreetInsider Alert for SPPI

Apr 14, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Spectrum Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: SPPI) announced that they have entered into an exclusive agreement with Cura Pharmaceuticals Co., Inc. for the marketing and distribution of carboplatin injection. Carboplatin is one of the most broadly used anti-cancer agents. The exclusivity for Paraplatin, the branded form of carboplatin marketed by Bristol Myers Squibb, expired in 2004 and generic versions of the product have been approved.


04/14/2005 08:10:16 AM
StreetInsider Alert for ALTR

Apr 14, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Altera Corporation (Nasdaq: ALTR) announced that Inlet Technologies is leveraging the performance of Altera's Stratix series of FPGAs for its Fathom product. Fathom is the industry's first professional real-time encoding solution for VC-1, an advanced compression format for high-definition video content. Inlet's Fathom solution combines Stratix-based hardware acceleration with workflow and analysis software to make next-generation distribution methods such as Blu-Ray, high definition (HD)-DVD, video-on-demand, and digital dailies a reality today. The solution delivers performance, precision, and productivity to the post-production market. Inlet will demonstrate the latest version of Fathom in booth SL5829 at this week's NAB2005, the annual National Association of Broadcasters Conference.


04/14/2005 08:10:15 AM
StreetInsider Alert for RIMM

Apr 14, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Cellcom Israel Ltd. and Research In Motion (NASDAQ: RIMM) announced plans to offer BlackBerry, a leading wireless communications platform, to mobile customers in Israel.


04/14/2005 08:10:14 AM
StreetInsider Alert for CHIR

Apr 14, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Chiron Corporation (Nasdaq: CHIR) announced that the South African National Blood Service (SANBS) plans to initiate testing of whole blood donations using the fully automated PROCLEIX TIGRIS System with the PROCLEIX ULTRIO Assay beginning in September 2005. The donations, which are expected to total approximately 800,000 units annually, will be screened individually for HIV-1, hepatitis C and hepatitis B. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed. In addition, the Western Province Blood Transfusion Service (WPBTS) in South Africa plans to initiate nucleic acid testing (NAT) in September with the PROCLEIX ULTRIO Assay, screening another 200,000 units annually. Chiron's NAT products are distributed in South Africa by Ilex Medical Ltd.


04/14/2005 08:10:14 AM
StreetInsider Alert for RMBS

Apr 14, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Rambus Inc. (Nasdaq: RMBS) signed a patent license agreement with NEC Electronics Corporation that allows the development and manufacture of memory controllers based on various Rambus innovations. The agreement is for a five-year term, with the possibility of renewal or extension. The license's scope covers memory controllers compatible with SDR, DDR and DDR2 SDRAM as well as future memory controller innovations. Rambus will receive royalties on sales of licensed products.


04/14/2005 08:10:12 AM
StreetInsider Alert for IVD

Apr 14, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --IVAX Diagnostics, Inc. (AMEX: IVD) has signed agreements with DiaMed Diagnostika Med. Produkte GmbH in Bensheim, Germany and DiaMed Diagnostika Med. Produkte GmbH in Gallneukirchen, Austria for distribution of IVAX Diagnostics' products in Germany, Austria, Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic. These agreements provide the respective DiaMed companies with distribution rights to IVAX Diagnostics' reagents and instrumentation, including the Mago® Plus and, when it becomes available, the PARSEC(TM) System.

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04/14/2005 08:01:29 AM
StreetInsider Alert for GTK

Apr 14, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Gtech Holdings (NYSE: GTK) reports Q4 earnings of $0.34 per share, 1 cent better than estimates. Revenues came in at $337.9 million versus the consensus of $336.4 million. Sees FY06 EPS of $1.53-$1.58 versus the consensus of $1.54. Sees Q1 EPS of $0.33-$0.36 versus the consensus of $0.37.


04/14/2005 08:01:27 AM
StreetInsider Alert for DXCM

Apr 14, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --DexCom, Inc. (NASDAQ: DXCM) announced the initial public offering of 4,700,000 shares of common stock at a price of $12.00 per share. Piper Jaffray & Co. is the sole book-running manager for the offering. SG Cowen & Co., LLC is the co-lead manager. William Blair & Company, L.L.C. and First Albany Capital Inc. are co-managers.


04/14/2005 08:01:26 AM
StreetInsider Alert for PII

Apr 14, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Polaris Industries (NYSE: PII) reports Q1 earnings of $0.42 per share, in-line with estimates. Q1 revenues were $358.3 million, higher than analysts estimates of $356.52 million. PII Reaffirms full-year earnings outlook.


04/14/2005 08:01:26 AM
StreetInsider Alert for KMG

Apr 14, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Kerr-McGee Corp. (NYSE: KMG) authorized a modified "Dutch Auction" tender offer for up to $4 billion of its common stock, at a price not less than $85 per share or more than $92 per share. The tender offer is expected to commence on or about April 18, 2005. The company expects the share repurchase to be accretive to earnings and cash flow per share.


04/14/2005 08:01:25 AM
StreetInsider Alert for DAB

Apr 14, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Dave & Buster's (NYSE: DAB) reports Q4 earnings of $0.46 per share, 5 cents worse than estimates. Q4 revenues were $121.4 million, higher than analysts estimates of $118.43 million.


04/14/2005 08:01:24 AM
StreetInsider Alert for MUR

Apr 14, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --JP Morgan downgrades Murphy Oil (NYSE: MUR) from 'overweight' to 'neutral'.


04/14/2005 08:01:20 AM
StreetInsider Alert for CAH

Apr 14, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Cardinal Health, Inc. (NYSE: CAH) nnounced that Jeffrey W. Henderson will join the company as executive vice president and chief financial officer, succeeding interim CFO J. Michael Losh.


04/14/2005 08:01:19 AM
StreetInsider Alert for SSP

Apr 14, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --E.W. Scripps (NYSE: SSP) reports Q1 earnings of $0.42 per share, 4 cents better than estimates. Q1 revenues were $585 million, higher than analysts estimates of $565.56 million. SSP reaffirms Q2 earnings outlook.


04/14/2005 08:01:19 AM
StreetInsider Alert for DJ

Apr 14, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Dow Jones & Company (NYSE: DJ) reports Q1 earnings of $0.11 per share, 1 cent better than estiamtes. Revenues came in at $412.1 million versus the consensus of $424.15 million.


04/14/2005 08:01:19 AM
StreetInsider Alert for FCS

Apr 14, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Fairchild Semiconductor (NYSE: FCS) reports Q1 earnings of $0.10 per share, 2 cents better than estimates. Q1 revenues were $364.8 million, in-line with estimates. FCS guides lower for Q2 revenue outlook.


04/14/2005 08:01:19 AM
StreetInsider Alert for BBGI

Apr 14, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Beasley Broadcast Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: BBGI) expects to exceed its revenue guidance for the first quarter of 2005 and report consolidated net revenue growth of 8-10%.


04/14/2005 08:01:18 AM
StreetInsider Alert for PEP

Apr 14, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --PepsiCo (NYSE: PEP) reports Q1 earnings of $0.53 per share, 3 cents better than estimates. Q1 revenues were $6.58 billion, higher than analysts estimates of $6.47 billion. PEP reaffirms full-year earnings outlook.


04/14/2005 08:01:15 AM
StreetInsider Alert for ETN

Apr 14, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Eaton (NYSE: ETN) reports Q1 earnings of $1.23 per share, before charges, 1 cent better than estimates. Q1 revenues were $2.65 billion, lower than analysts estimates of $2.7 billion. ETN guides lower for Q2 and full-year earnings outlook.


04/14/2005 08:01:14 AM
StreetInsider Alert for ARO

Apr 14, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Goldman Sachs initiates coverage on Aeropostale (NYSE: ARO) with an 'outperform' rating and $41 price target. The analyst cites valuation and growth opportunities through 2010.


04/14/2005 08:01:13 AM
StreetInsider Alert for RIMM

Apr 14, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --The Defence Signals Directorate of the Australian Government has approved the deployment of the BlackBerry platform, developed by Research In Motion (Nasdaq: RIMM), for its secure wireless communications and information access capabilities.

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04/14/2005 08:00:56 AM
StreetInsider Alert for CFC

Apr 14, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Merrill Lynch upgrades Countrywide Financial (NYSE: CFC) from Neutral to Buy on positive earnings outlook-Price target $43.


04/14/2005 08:00:56 AM
StreetInsider Alert for OSTK

Apr 14, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --CIBC initiates coverage on Overstock.Com, Inc. (Nasdaq: OSTK) with a 'sector underperformer' rating.


04/14/2005 08:00:54 AM
StreetInsider Alert for QCOM

Apr 14, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Credit Suisse FB upgrades QUALCOMM (Nasdaq: QCOM) from Neutral to Outperform on positive earnings outlook-Price target $45.


04/14/2005 08:00:54 AM
StreetInsider Alert for QCOM

Apr 14, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --CSFB upgrades Qualcomm (Nasdaq: QCOM) from 'neutral' to 'outperform' and raises their price target to $45. The analyst expects WCDMA adoption to accelerate in 2006 and beyond.


04/14/2005 08:00:53 AM
StreetInsider Alert for CLX

Apr 14, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Lehman Bros. upgrades Clorox (NYSE: CLX) from Underweight to Equalweight on positive growth outlook-Price target $63.


04/14/2005 08:00:52 AM
StreetInsider Alert for RIMM

Apr 14, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Harris Nesbitt initiates coverage on Research In Motion (Nasdaq: RIMM) with a 'neutral' and $75 price target. Says shares are fully valued at current levels.


04/14/2005 08:00:52 AM
StreetInsider Alert for MWD

Apr 14, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Merrill Lynch downgrades Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MWD) from Buy to Neutral on news of top borkers resignation.


04/14/2005 08:00:51 AM
StreetInsider Alert for CHIR

Apr 14, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --UBS Securities downgrades Chiron (Nasdaq: CHIR) from Neutral to Reduce on increased costs of Fluvirin-Price target $32.


04/14/2005 08:00:45 AM
StreetInsider Alert for TARO

Apr 14, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Taro Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (NASDAQ: TARO) received approval from the FDA for its Abbreviated New Drug Application for Ciclopirox Olamine Cream USP, 0.77%. Taro's ciclopirox cream is a prescription pharmaceutical product used for the treatment of fungal infections of the skin. The Taro product is bioequivalent to Medicis Pharmaceutical Corp.'s (NYSE: MRX) Loprox Topical Cream.


04/14/2005 08:00:43 AM
StreetInsider Alert for AMD

Apr 14, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Piper Jaffray upgrades Advanced Micro Devices (NYSE: AMD) from Market Perform to Outperform on positive outlook-Price target $22.


04/14/2005 08:00:42 AM
StreetInsider Alert for BSX

Apr 14, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Boston Scientific Corporation (NYSE: BSX) and Rubicon Medical Corporation (OTCBB: RMDC) announced that Rubicon has received CE Mark for its Rubicon Filter. The Rubicon Filter is an embolic protection system that traps and removes debris that may be dislodged during interventional procedures.


04/14/2005 08:00:42 AM
StreetInsider Alert for LAVA

Apr 14, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --After the close, Magma Design Automation Inc. (Nasdaq: LAVA) said its board of directors has authorized the company to repurchase up to 2 million shares of common stock.


04/14/2005 08:00:41 AM
StreetInsider Alert for FDC

Apr 14, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --First Data Corp. (NYSE: FDC) reports Q1 earnings of $0.47 per share, 3 cents worse than estimates. Q1 revenues were $2.48 billion vs. analysts estimates of $2.56 billion. The CEO said "Concord has been part of First Data for five quarters now, and we are very pleased with the strategic fit and the financial performance of this acquisition. In the first quarter, integration expenses impacted EPS by $0.03, right in-line with our expectations."


04/14/2005 08:00:41 AM
StreetInsider Alert for UNH

Apr 14, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) reports Q1 earnings of $1.16 per share, 3 cents better than estimates. Q1 revenues were $10.89 billion, lower than analysts estimates of $11.02 billion. UNH sees full-year 2005 earnings between $4.85-4.90 vs. analysts estimates of $4.82.


04/14/2005 08:00:40 AM
StreetInsider Alert for EMMS

Apr 14, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Emmis Broadcasting (Nasdaq: EMMS) reports a Q4 loss of $0.07 per share, 5 cents worse than estimates. Q4 revenue of $137.9 million, lower than analysts estimates of $138.5 million.

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04/14/2005 08:00:19 AM
StreetInsider Alert for LUV

Apr 14, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV) reports Q1 earnings of $0.09 per share, 4 cents better than estimates. Q1 revenues were $1.66 billion, higher than analysts estimates of $1.65 billion.


04/14/2005 08:00:19 AM
StreetInsider Alert for BBY

Apr 14, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --J.P. Morgan downgrades Best Buy (NYSE: BBY) from Overweight to Underweight on lower product margins and stronger competition.

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04/13/2005 05:50:14 PM
StreetInsider Alert for WGAT

Apr 13, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Motorola Inc. (NYSE: MOT) and WorldGate Communications Inc. (NASDAQ: WGAT) announced they conducted the first true-to-life videophone call over satellite broadband network connections.

Motorola and WorldGate originated Ojo videophone calls from WorldGate's Philadelphia-area headquarters to a facility in Virginia Beach, VA, ultimately beaming the calls to a commercially available VSAT satellite orbiting 22,500 miles above Earth and back--a round trip of 45,000 miles. The companies said Ojo performed flawlessly, connecting the parties, and enabling a natural, true-to-life personal exchange with stunning picture quality, perfectly synchronized audio and video, and virtually no significant delay.


04/13/2005 05:45:19 PM
StreetInsider Alert for LRCX

Apr 13, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Lam Research Corp (Nasdaq: LRCX) provides higher Q4 guidance; sees revenues of $340-$360 million, versus the consensus of $334.76 million, and EPS of $0.41-$0.45, versus the consensus of $0.39.


04/13/2005 05:10:29 PM
StreetInsider Alert for MLM

Apr 13, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Martin Marietta Materials, Inc. (NYSE: MLM) expects first quarter earnings in a range of $0.10 to $0.15 per diluted share, versus the consensus of a $0.04 per share loss.

The earnings increase is primarily attributable to volume growth, strong pricing and continued cost control from plant efficiency improvements. The expected first quarter earnings range includes the benefit of a decrease in tax reserves related to certain international tax issues currently under examination.

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Amateur Investors Weekend Stock Market Analysis (4/16/05)

The selling pressure increased this week and it's beginning to look like a potential climax sell off as the Contrarian Indicators are showing a lot of fear now entering the market. The Volatility Index (VIX) rose substantially this week and we haven't seen an upward move like this since last August as the S&P 500 was nearing a bottom (point B).



Meanwhile the 5 Day Average of the Put to Call Ratio is now well above 1.0 (point C) and hasn't been this high since May of 2004 (point D) as the S&P 500 made a bottom (point E).



Meanwhile if we look at our Market Timing Indicator (MTI) on a Weekly timeframe and apply it to the Dow the %K Line in association with the Slow Stochastics has now dropped well below 20 (point F). In the past when the %K Line has dropped to 20 or below (points G) on a Weekly timeframe this has usually been a fairly reliable signal that a bottom is nearing and that an oversold rally will develop (points H to I).



Although it appears the market is unraveling the Contrarian Indicators and our MTI suggest that a bottom may occur before much longer followed by a multi week oversold rally.

As far as the major averages the Dow failed to hold support last week at its 50% Retracement Level near 10350 (calculated from the October 2004 low to the early March high) and has dropped below its 61.8% Retracement Level at 10200. I expect the Dow will find support either at its 76.4% Retracement Level near 10000 (point J) or at its October 2004 low near 9700 (point K) which will lead to an eventual oversold rally.



The Nasdaq failed to hold support this week at its 50% Retracement Level near 1970 (calculated from the August 2004 low to the early January high) and has broken below its 61.8% Retracement Level near 1920. There appear to be two possible areas where an oversold rally may develop in the Nasdaq. The first would be around 1900 which is where the Nasdaq found support last October (point L) and the second would be at its 76.4% Retracement Level near 1855 (point M).



As far as the S&P 500 it failed to hold support at its 38.2% Retracement Level near 1163 (calculated from the August 2004 low to the early March high) and has dropped back to its 50% Retracement Level near 1143. If the S&P 500 doesn't undergo an oversold raly near the 1143 area and continues lower I would look for an oversold rally to develop at its 61.8% Retracement Level near 1125 (point N).



I know at this point it looks like the major averages are in big trouble however based on the amount of fear shown by the Contrarian Indicators and the signals coming from our Market Timing Indicator don't be surprised if an oversold rally develops before much longer.

Meanwhile when the market is selling off you should be paying close attention to those stocks which are holding up well as they may perform the best once the market makes a bottom and begins to rally from oversold conditions. For example DNA has just completed the right side of a 1 year Cup and now needs to develop a constructive Handle.

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Leavitt Brothers Free Stuff:

http://www.leavittbrothers.com/freestuff/

http://www.leavittbrothers.com//chartspeak/ChartSpeak_041705.pdf

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MORNING WATCH, Apr. 18


By Frederic Ruffy, Optionetics.com
4/18/2005 6:15 AM EST


Stocks are set to open mixed Monday, as investors await for signs that stocks can recover from last week’s three-day slide. A decline in oil prices and merger news might help lift the market in early trading. However, trading is expected to remain cautious after overseas markets suffered sharp losses and ahead of a busy week for corporate earnings.

Another takeover in the software sector is making news this morning. In the latest deal, Adobe Systems (ADBE) agreed to buy Macromedia (MACR) for $41.86 a share, or 25% above last Friday’s closing price. The stock deal brings together two of the largest companies that provide means to distribute video, documents, and other media over the computer.

In other merger news, the Financial Times is reporting that the Nasdaq Stock Market (NDAQ) is buying Instinet Group (INGP) for $1.8 billion. Meanwhile, General Electric (GE) said it would buy Bomardier’s (BBD) financing division for $1.4 billion. The financing division employs 480 workers in Vermont and will merge into GE’s commercial finance unit.

Earnings from 3M (MMM) and Bank of America (BAC) might help lift the market in early trading. In fact, stock index futures moved out of the red early Monday after 3M posted profits of $1.03 a share, two cents better than estimates, and also reaffirmed its full year outlook. Bank of America posted earnings of $1.16 a share and well ahead of analyst estimates of .97 cents. After being down more than five points early Monday, S&P 500 Index futures moved higher on the news.

Earnings will remain in focus throughout the week with a heavy calendar of reports on tap. Ely Lilly (LLY), Texas Instruments (TXN), and Novellus (NVLS) release results today. General Motors (GM), Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), and Pfizer (PFE) report tomorrow before the opening bell.

No economic data is due out today, but falling oil prices might influence trading. Crude fell 54 cents to $49.95 a barrel early Monday. A sustained move below $50.00 a barrel might have a favorable impact on the stock market this week.

Trading is expected to remain cautious, however, given the recent decline in stock prices. Last week, concerns about the economy and corporate profit growth sent the Dow Jones Industrial Average tumbling for its biggest loss since 2003. Furthermore, global equity markets were falling once again Monday morning. Japan’s Nikkei index plummeted 3.8% to 10938.44. Therefore, investor sentiment towards equities remains bearish and it might therefore be difficult for the market to make much headway in the near term.



Frederic Ruffy
Senior Writer
Optionetics.com ~ Your Options Education Site

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U.S. Treasury Debt Prices Rise
Tuesday April 19, 5:43 pm ET
By Pedro Nicolaci da Costa

http://biz.yahoo.com/rb/050419/markets_bonds.html?.v=1

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury debt prices rose on Tuesday as benign inflation figures and increased risk-aversion following grim earnings news from General Motors (NYSE:GM - News) gave the bond market a boost.

Benchmark yields were once again bobbing near two-month lows as growing expectations of a slowdown in economic growth favored safe-haven government debt.

Ten-year notes (US10YT=RR) rose 14/32 for a yield of 4.22 percent, down from 4.28 percent on Monday and a world away from a peak of 4.697 hit less than a month ago.

"This is a market with a mission," said Gerald Lucas, chief treasury and agency strategist at Banc of America Securities.

That mission was to move higher no matter what. Treasuries prices were climbing despite a modest rebound in equities from near six-month lows, driven by better earnings from big-time names like Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO - News) and Texas Instruments (NYSE:TXN - News).

"The whole reverse relationship between equities and bonds seems to have broken down," said Lucas.

Indeed, two-year Treasury notes (US2YT=RR) were up 2/32 in price, taking their yield to 3.51 percent from 3.54 percent. Five-year notes (US5YT=RR) rose 8/32, lowering yields to 3.86 percent from 3.91 percent, while the 30-year bond (US30YT=RR) jumped 28/32, its yield easing to 4.56 percent.

A tame reading on core producer prices helped assuage fears of an imminent spike in inflation, the arch-enemy of fixed-income investors.

Overall, the producer price index shot up 0.7 percent. But outside of food and energy costs, prices advanced a mild 0.1 percent for the second straight month, soothing worries that soaring oil prices would stoke inflation more broadly.

William Poole, president of the St. Louis Federal Reserve, called the U.S. inflation outlook "very favorable" in an afternoon speech.

Given the comforting prospect of subdued price growth, dealers went back to pondering the possibility of a slower economy, with bulls even entertaining hopes of an eventual pause in monetary tightening from the Fed.

Doubts about the economy were highlighted by poor results from General Motors, which posted a $1.1 billion quarterly loss -- its worst since 1992.

This shoddy performance reinforced suspicion that the automaker's bonds might soon be downgraded to junk status, and helped secure a safety bid for government debt. Buying of Treasuries related to the pricing of a $1.25 billion deal from Freddie Mac (NYSE:FRE - News) also supported the market, analysts said.

The risk of slower growth was acknowledged by Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco President Janet Yellen, who said high energy prices were dampening consumer spending and creating a situation similar to the summer "soft patch" of 2004.

That possibility has prompted the same market that only two weeks ago had been primarily worried about a more aggressive Fed to begin talking about the prospect of a pause in interest rate hikes.

Futures markets (0#FF:) reflected that shift, having all but priced out the chance of a half-point hike and trimmed expectations for how high rates would be at the end of the year.

More minor data on Tuesday offered further hints of softness in consumption. The Redbook measure of chain store sales showed sales so far in April running 3.8 percent below March, a performance Redbook termed "disappointing."

Housing starts slumped 17.6 percent in March, while permits fell 4.0 percent. Analysts, though, suspected the drop was just a correction from previous strength and argued against taking the pullback too seriously.

Still to come on Tuesday was a speech by Fed Bank of Cleveland President Sandra Pianalto on "Monetary Policy" around 7:15 p.m. EDT

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Final - StreetInsider Alerts 04/19/2005 @ 05:50:46 PM
By StreetInsider.com / Briefing.com, Investing-News.Com
Apr 19, 2005, 22:04

LLTC ADLR JNPR DJ:INDU ( ORPH INSM ) RX ARXX BGP NTPA PPDI PLXT BRO N TSS YHOO MIPS PTV YHOO ASPT AV SMDI BCR SYK STX CAKE JNPR INTC CYMI CKFR USNA SGTL BTH KFT SOV CGNX SBSE WM GILD (To Earlier Below)


04/19/2005 05:50:46 PM
StreetInsider Alert for LLTC

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Linear Technology Corp (Nasdaq: LLTC) reported Q3 EPS of $0.39, 7 cents better than estimates. Revenues came in at $290.7 million versus the consensus of $250.63 million. Sees Q4 revenue of $255-$258 million versus the consensus of $259.65 million.


04/19/2005 05:50:45 PM
StreetInsider Alert for ADLR

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Adolor Corporation (Nasdaq: ADLR) said the FDA has extended the Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) target action date from April 25, 2005 to July 25, 2005 for the completion of its review of the New Drug Application for Entereg capsules for the management of postoperative ileus.


04/19/2005 05:20:40 PM
StreetInsider Alert for JNPR

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Juniper Networks (Nasdaq: JNPR) sees Q2 EPS of $0.17 versus the consensus of $0.16 and revenue of $470-$475 million versus the consensus of $457.98 million.


04/19/2005 05:10:40 PM
StreetInsider Alert for DJ:INDU

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --The Dow finished 56.16 points higher to close at 10,127, the Nasdaq rose 19.44 points to close at 1,932, and the S&P 500 gained 6.80 points to close at 1,152.

The markets closed out the trading session in the green today as lower wholesale prices eased fears of higher inflation, bond yields fell, and earnings remained strong to spur a sweeping rally.

Volume was heavy with 2.13 billion shares trading on the NYSE and 1.85 billion on the Nasdaq. Advancers outpaced decliners today by a margin of 24:8 on the NYSE and by 21:9 on the Nasdaq.

In individual stories, Orphan Medical, Inc. (Nasdaq: ORPH) closed 22.92% higher after privately held Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Inc. agreed to acquire the Company for $10.75 per share in cash. On the downside, Insmed Incorporated (Nasdaq: INSM) closed 14.39% lower after the Court denied Insmed's motion that a summary judgment, or final verdict, be made in Insmed's favor.

Tomorrow traders will be watching for data from the Fed's Beige Book, CPI, and Core CPI. The CPI and Core CPI are due to hit the wires at 8:30 A.M, and the Fed's Beige Book is scheduled for 2:00 P.M.


04/19/2005 05:00:46 PM
StreetInsider Alert for RX

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --IMS Health Inc (NYSE: RX) reported Q1 EPS of $0.29, 1 cent better than estimates. Revenues came in at $411 million versus the consensus of $396.75 million.


04/19/2005 04:50:48 PM
StreetInsider Alert for ARXX

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Aeroflex Incorporated (Nasdaq: ARXX) announced the acquisition of the business of JcAIR Test Systems from aerospace and defense supplier, Goodrich Corporation, for $35 million in cash.


04/19/2005 04:50:48 PM
StreetInsider Alert for BGP

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Borders Group, Inc. (NYSE: BGP) warns for Q1; now projects a first quarter consolidated per share loss of $0.06 to $0.07 versus previously projected consolidated earnings per share of $0.00 to $0.02. Both projections include the impact of non-operating adjustments.

Comparable stores sales at Borders superstores have declined by 0.8% and by 3.0% at Waldenbooks for the quarter.


04/19/2005 04:45:46 PM
StreetInsider Alert for NTPA

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Netopia, Inc. (Nasdaq: NTPA) agreed to employ Charles Constanti as its new Vice President and Chief Financial Officer.


04/19/2005 04:45:45 PM
StreetInsider Alert for PPDI

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Pharmaceutical Product Development (Nasdaq: PPDI) reported Q1 EPS of $0.55, 1 cent worse than estimates. Revenues came in at $244.1 million versus the consensus of $215.83 million.


04/19/2005 04:45:45 PM
StreetInsider Alert for PLXT

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --PLX Technology Inc (Nasdaq: PLXT) reported Q1 EPS of $0.00, 1 cent worse than estimates. Revenues came in at $13.2 million versus the consensus of $13.97 million.


04/19/2005 04:40:38 PM
StreetInsider Alert for BRO

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Brown & Brown Inc (NYSE: BRO) reported Q1 EPS of $0.62, 4 cents better than estimates. Revenues came in at $202.4 million versus the consensus of $196.31 million.


04/19/2005 04:40:37 PM
StreetInsider Alert for N

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Inco Ltd (NYSE: N) reported Q1 EPS of $1.09, 17 cents better than estimates. Reinstated quarterly dividend of $0.10 per share.


04/19/2005 04:40:37 PM
StreetInsider Alert for TSS

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Total System Services Inc (NYSE: TSS) reported Q1 EPS of $0.23, 3 cents better than estimates. Revenues came in at $350 million versus the consensus of $323.50 million.


04/19/2005 04:35:45 PM
StreetInsider Alert for YHOO

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Yahoo! Inc (Nasdaq: YHOO) sees Q2 revenue of $855-$895 million versus the consensus of $842.29 million.

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04/19/2005 04:35:45 PM
StreetInsider Alert for MIPS

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --MIPS Technologies Inc (Nasdaq: MIPS) reported Q3 EPS of $0.09, in-line with estimates. Revenues came in at $16.8 million versus the consensus of $16.63 million.


04/19/2005 04:35:44 PM
StreetInsider Alert for PTV

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Pactiv Corp (NYSE: PTV) reported Q1 EPS of $0.17, 1 cent worse than estimates. Revenues came in at $832 million versus the consensus of $838.22 million. Sees Q2 EPS of $0.27-$0.31 versus the consensus of $0.33 and FY05 EPS of $1.23-$1.35 versus the consensus of $1.32.


04/19/2005 04:35:43 PM
StreetInsider Alert for YHOO

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Yahoo! Inc (Nasdaq: YHOO) reported Q1 EPS of $0.13, 2 cents better than estimates. Revenues came in at $821 million versus the consensus of $795.49 million.


04/19/2005 04:30:51 PM
StreetInsider Alert for ASPT

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Aspect Communications Corp (Nasdaq: ASPT) reported Q1 EPS of $0.13, 1 cent better than estimates. Revenues came in at $90.6 million versus the consensus of $89.42 million. Sees Q2 EPS of $0.12-$0.14 versus the consensus of $0.15.


04/19/2005 04:30:50 PM
StreetInsider Alert for AV

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Avaya Inc (NYSE: AV) reported Q2 EPS of $0.07, may not be comparable to the consensus. Revenues came in at $1.22 billion versus the consensus of $1.29 billion.


04/19/2005 04:25:52 PM
StreetInsider Alert for SMDI

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Sirenza Microdevices Inc (Nasdaq: SMDI) reported a Q1 loss of $0.03, 2 cents worse than estimates. Revenues came in at $12.2 million versus the consensus of $12.31 million.


04/19/2005 04:25:51 PM
StreetInsider Alert for BCR

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --C.R. Bard Inc (NYSE: BCR) reported Q1 EPS of $0.73, 4 cents better than estimates. Revenues came in at $428.6 million versus the consensus of $430.72 million.


04/19/2005 04:25:50 PM
StreetInsider Alert for SYK

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Stryker Corp (NYSE: SYK) reported Q1 EPS of $0.42, 2 cents better than estimates. Revenues came in at $1.2 billion versus the consensus of $1.18 billion.


04/19/2005 04:20:52 PM
StreetInsider Alert for STX

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Seagate Technology (NYSE: STX) reported Q3 EPS of $0.45, 8 cents better than estimates. Revenues came in at $1.97 billion versus the consensus of $1.87 billion.


04/19/2005 04:20:51 PM
StreetInsider Alert for CAKE

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Cheesecake Factory Inc (Nasdaq: CAKE) reported Q1 EPS of $0.24, in-line with estimates. Revenues came in at $268.2 million versus the consensus of $270.60 million.


04/19/2005 04:20:51 PM
StreetInsider Alert for JNPR

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Juniper Networks (Nasdaq: JNPR) reported Q1 EPS of $0.16, 1 cent better than estimates. Revenues came in at $449.1 million versus the consensus of $440.44 million.


04/19/2005 04:20:50 PM
StreetInsider Alert for INTC

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Intel Corp (Nasdaq: INTC) reported Q1 EPS of $0.34, 3 cents better than estimates. Revenues came in at $9.4 billion versus the consensus of $9.31 billion.


04/19/2005 04:20:50 PM
StreetInsider Alert for CYMI

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Cymer Inc (Nasdaq: CYMI) reported Q1 EPS of $0.14, 6 cents better than estimates. Revenues came in at $84.8 million versus the consensus of $80.22 million.


04/19/2005 04:15:53 PM
StreetInsider Alert for CKFR

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --CheckFree Corp (Nasdaq: CKFR) reported Q3 EPS of $0.39, 3 cents better than estimates. Revenues came in at $191.2 million versus the consensus of $189.90 million. Sees FY05 $1.41-$1.43 versus the consensus of $1.38.


04/19/2005 04:15:52 PM
StreetInsider Alert for USNA

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --USANA Health Sciences Inc (Nasdaq: USNA) reported Q1 EPS of $0.45, 3 cents better than estimates. Revenues came in at $76.6 million versus the consensus of $77.60 millon.

______

04/19/2005 04:15:36 PM
StreetInsider Alert for SGTL

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Sigmatel Inc (Nasdaq: SGTL) reported Q1 EPS of $0.67, 24 cents better than estimates. Revenues came in at $99.3 million versus the consensus of $81.30 million. Sees Q2 $0.48-$0.57 versus the consensus of $0.40.


04/19/2005 04:10:46 PM
StreetInsider Alert for BTH

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Blyth, Inc. (NYSE: BTH) said earnings per share for the fiscal year ending January 31, 2006 are expected to be between $2.20 and $2.25. Management's previously issued E.P.S. guidance was $2.35 to $2.40 for the full year (consensus is $2.31).


04/19/2005 04:10:46 PM
StreetInsider Alert for KFT

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Kraft Foods Inc (NYSE: KFT) reported Q1 EPS of $0.41, may not be comparable with estimates. Revenues came in at $8.06 billion versus the consensus of $7.89 billion.


04/19/2005 04:10:45 PM
StreetInsider Alert for SOV

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Sovereign Bancorp Inc (NYSE: SOV) reported Q1 EPS of $0.46, 2 cents better than estimates.


04/19/2005 04:10:45 PM
StreetInsider Alert for CGNX

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Cognex Corp (Nasdaq: CGNX) reported Q1 EPS of $0.11, in-line with estimates. Revenues came in at $43.2 million versus the consensus of $42.30 million.


04/19/2005 04:10:44 PM
StreetInsider Alert for SBSE

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --SBS Technologies Inc (Nasdaq: SBSE) reported Q3 EPS of $0.03, 5 cents worse than estimates. Revenues came in at $37.1 million versus the consensus of $37 million.


04/19/2005 04:05:45 PM
StreetInsider Alert for WM

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Washington Mutual Inc (NYSE: WM) reported Q1 EPS of $1.01 versus the consensus of $0.82. Raised dividend from $0.46 to $0.47.


04/19/2005 04:05:44 PM
StreetInsider Alert for GILD

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Gilead Sciences Inc (Nasdaq: GILD) reported Q1 EPS of $0.34, 5 cents better than estimates. Revenues came in at $430.4 million versus the consensus of $396.94 million.



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MMM HSY DVA (+ Briefing.com ) (To Earlier Below)


04/19/2005 03:45:34 PM
StreetInsider Alert for MMM

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --3M Co (NYSE: MMM) issued the following statement from W. James McNerney, Jr., chairman of the board and CEO, in response to ongoing speculation about other available CEO positions: "As I've said before, I am very happy at 3M and believe strongly in the company's future. I have no plans to leave in any foreseeable time frame. Rumors notwithstanding, I am not a candidate for any other job, including Boeing (NYSE: BA)."


04/19/2005 03:40:39 PM
StreetInsider Alert for HSY

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --The Hershey Company (NYSE: HSY) approved an authorization to acquire up to $250 million of Hershey's Common Stock. The Board anticipates it will take from 18 to 24 months to complete the authorized repurchase, subject to market conditions. Acquired shares of the Common Stock will be held as Treasury shares.

______

04/19/2005 03:00:31 PM
Briefing.com: Hourly In Play (R) - 15:00 ET
[Briefing.com Stock Information]


Apr 19, 2005 (Briefing.com via COMTEX) --Hourly In Play (R)

Updated: 19-Apr-05 15:00 ET

14:54

DVA DaVita announces C.F.O. departure (41.65 -0.13)

Co announced that Denise Fletcher has stepped down as Senior Vice President and C.F.O. effective April 15. This decision was reached by mutual agreement. Tom Kelly, Executive Vice President, will assume the role of acting C.F.O.

14:46

SBUX Starbucks - - Relative Weakness (46.00 -1.00) -- Technical --

The stock displays relative weakness as it continues to slide lower intraday to fresh 6-month lows.

14:43

PSYS Psychiatric Solutions extends advance to 50 day ema/sma at 41.80/41.97 -- session high 41.88 (41.84 +2.11) -- Technical --


14:25

FLS Flowserve pushes higher intraday to notch a new 3-month high above its March highs near 26.80 (26.93 +0.76) -- Technical --


14:19

MAT 200 Day-Alert -- Mattel sets new session high but nearing resistance at yesterday's recovery high/200 sma at 18.65/18.68 (18.62 +0.34) -- Technical --


Briefing.com is the leading Internet provider of live market analysis for U.S. Stock, U.S. Bond and world FX market participants. 1-800-752-3013 or http://www.briefing.com


Copyright (C) 2005 Briefing.com, Inc. All rights reserved.

04/19/2005 02:55:36 PM
StreetInsider Alert for DVA

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --DaVita Inc. (NYSE: DVA) announced that Denise Fletcher has stepped down as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer effective April 15, 2005. This decision was reached by mutual agreement.


~~~ Guidance For Trades ~~~ [ ALT + BACK ARROW ] to Return


NAFC DJ:INDU GM MCU LLY DJ:INDU ALA BSX STT (To Earlier Below)


04/19/2005 01:40:46 PM
StreetInsider Alert for NAFC

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Nash Finch Company (Nasdaq: NAFC) announced that its board of directors has declared a regular quarterly cash dividend of 18 cents per share of common stock. The dividend is payable June 10, 2005 to shareholders of record at the close of business on May 27, 2005. It is the Company's 315th consecutive quarterly cash dividend, and represents an increase from the 13.5 cents per share declared for the previous quarter. There are 12,686,053 shares of common stock outstanding.


04/19/2005 01:40:46 PM
StreetInsider Alert for DJ:INDU

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --4/19: Streetinsider.com's Unusual 11 Afternoon Movers:

Orphan Medical, Inc. (Nasdaq: ORPH) 23.27% HIGHER; Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Inc. agreed to acquire the Company for $10.75 per share in cash.

ADC (Nasdaq: ADCT) 21.28% HIGHER; announced one-for-seven reverse stock split and raised Q2 guidance.

ICU Medical ((Nasdaq: ICUI) 17.91% HIGHER; Soleil upgraded the stock following Q1 report.

Genta Incorporated (Nasdaq: GNTA) 15.31% HIGHER; preclinical data has shown that Genasense may enhance the anti-tumor activity of Iressa.

Insmed Incorporated (Nasdaq: INSM) 14.39% LOWER; Court denied Insmed's motion that a summary judgment, or final verdict, be made in Insmed's favor. The Court granted Insmed's motion to dismiss the plaintiffs' complaint as originally written, but allowed the plaintiffs 30 days to amend and resubmit their complaint.

Capstone Turbine (Nasdaq: CPST) 13.01% HIGHER; announced follow-on orders from distributors in Italy and in Russia.

Lionbridge Technologies Inc (Nasdaq: LIOX) 12.25% LOWER; reported disapponting Q1 results.

EMC Corp (NYSE: EMC) 12.02% HIGHER; reported impressive Q1 results.

NMS Communications Corporation (Nasdaq: NMSS) 10.86% HIGHER; reported impressive Q1 results.

State Street (NYSE: STT) 8.08% HIGHER; reported impressive Q1 results.

Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Inc (NYSE: KKD) 7.14% LOWER; delayed 10-k filing.


04/19/2005 12:35:44 PM
StreetInsider Alert for GM

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --General Motors Corp's (NYSE: GM) CFO says a dividend cut is NOT being considered, as had been rumored.


04/19/2005 11:50:38 AM
StreetInsider Alert for MCU

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Medicure Inc. (AMEX: MCU) said following a meeting of the independent Data Safety Monitoring Board, the Company has received a recommendation to continue its Phase II/III MEND-CABG trial. This recommendation is based on their recent review of the safety data in the majority of patients who have completed 30 days of treatment following Coronary Artery Bypass Graft surgery.


04/19/2005 11:45:40 AM
StreetInsider Alert for LLY

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --General Electric Company (NYSE: GE), through GE Global Research and GE Healthcare, along with Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) announced a joint research collaboration intended to accelerate the discovery and development of new diagnostics and therapeutics for Alzheimer's Disease. The research collaboration is intended to focus on beta-amyloid, a protein in the brain that is believed to play a key role in the progression of the disease.


04/19/2005 10:40:39 AM
StreetInsider Alert for DJ:INDU

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --4/19: Streetinsider.com's Unusual 8 Morning Movers:

Orphan Medical, Inc. (Nasdaq: ORPH) 22.92% HIGHER; privately held Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Inc. agreed to acquire the Company for $10.75 per share in cash.

ADC (Nasdaq: ADCT) 19.15% HIGHER; announced one-for-seven reverse stock split and raised Q2 guidance.

Genta Incorporated (Nasdaq: GNTA) 13.27% HIGHER; preclinical data has shown that Genasense may enhance the anti-tumor activity of Iressa.

NMS Communications Corporation (Nasdaq: NMSS) 12.36% HIGHER; reported impressive Q1 results. In addition, First Albany upgraded the stock.

ICU Medical ((Nasdaq: ICUI) 11.65% HIGHER; Soleil upgraded the stock from Hold to Buy following Q1 report.

Lionbridge Technologies Inc (Nasdaq: LIOX) 11.07% LOWER; reported disapponting Q1 results.

Steel Tech (Nasdaq: STTX) 9.08% HIGHER; reported Q2 earnings 9 cents better than estimates.

Lincare Holdings Inc (Nasdaq: LNCR) 4.52% LOWER; reported disappointing Q1 results. In addition, UBS downgraded the stock.


04/19/2005 10:15:35 AM
StreetInsider Alert for ALA

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Alcatel (NYSE: ALA) names Mike Quigley as COO.


04/19/2005 10:05:45 AM
StreetInsider Alert for BSX

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Boston Scientific (NYSE: BSX) reports Q1 earnings of $0.51, in-line with the consensus. Revenues came in at $1.62 billion versus the consensus of $1.61 billion.


04/19/2005 09:30:51 AM
StreetInsider Alert for STT

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Merrill Lynch upgraded State Street Corporation (NYSE: STT) from Neutral to Buy. The firm views Q1 results as an inflection point in earnings growth.


~~~ Consistency In Trading ~~~ [ ALT + BACK ARROW ] to Return


EDO JNJ WYE PXG FALC JNJ RTN SY WPTE IMMR ENMD HYC CYTR TXU BTU MGG AXJ HTI CUB VICL AMGN UVN PAYX ASO FCX SONS PRXL CECE ERJ RBAK GLK BRCM BDN ITW XL GNA MEL CHK JNJ DRIV IPG WFC TER GNTA PBY TU CNP OMC NRG CEGE APD JRCC PRXL DUSA BOBJ TER CDWC JNJ BUCY GPRO ORPH AMED TKR PSRC SVU MAGS MAN ACTG LOGI AAP HYDL JCI EMC ACTL ICUI LU BIOI ASD PFE RSH VIAB NMSS CPO NVLS MDC VRNT TASR ADBE DHI ACO KO NCC


04/19/2005 09:25:43 AM
StreetInsider Alert for EDO

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --EDO Corporation (NYSE: EDO) has been awarded a contract by the Office of Naval Research (ONR) valued at up to $3.2 million to provide engineering services and program support. The cost plus fixed-fee contract includes a one-year base with four one-year option periods.


04/19/2005 09:10:42 AM
StreetInsider Alert for JNJ

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --UPDATE: Johnson & Johnson Inc (NYSE: JNJ) sees FY05 EPS in the range of $3.41-$3.43, versus the consensus is $3.40.

______

04/19/2005 09:15:36 AM
StreetInsider Alert for WYE

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Wyeth (NYSE: WYE) said the European Commission has approved InductOs for the treatment of single level anterior lumbar spine fusions as a substitute for autogenous bone graft in adults with degenerative disc disease who have had at least six months of nonoperative treatment for this condition. InductOs has been approved by the European authorities since 2002 for the treatment of acute tibia fractures in adults, as an adjunct to standard care using open fracture reduction and intramedullary nail fixation.


04/19/2005 09:15:35 AM
StreetInsider Alert for PXG

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Phoenix Footwear Group, Inc. (Amex: PXG) announced that it has signed a definitive asset purchase agreement to acquire Chambers Belt Company, a leading manufacturer of men's and women's belts and accessories.

Under the terms of the definitive agreement, Phoenix Footwear will pay $21.5 million for the assets of Chambers Belt, which will be funded through a combination of cash and Phoenix Footwear common stock. The cash portion of the purchase price is expected to be funded through new debt financing. In addition, Phoenix Footwear will pay $3.0 million in non-compete payments over a five year period and earn-out payments to be made in either cash and Phoenix Footwear common stock during the two years after closing, provided that the Chambers Belt business exceeds earnings performance targets during that period.

______

04/19/2005 09:10:43 AM
StreetInsider Alert for FALC

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --FalconStor Software, Inc. (Nasdaq: FALC) announced that Toshiba Information Systems UK, a provider of consumer electronics and business communication systems, has chosen FalconStor's IPStor® Enterprise Edition software to manage a resilient storage area network and provide for disaster recovery operations. IPStor software will be implemented and integrated by FalconStor partner Redstor.


04/19/2005 09:10:42 AM
StreetInsider Alert for JNJ

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --UPDATE: Johnson & Johnson Inc (NYSE: JNJ) sees FY05 EPS in the range of $3.41-$3.43, versus the consensus is $3.40.

______

04/19/2005 09:05:42 AM
StreetInsider Alert for RTN
Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) has been awarded a $12.5 million subcontract from Northrop Grumman Corporation's ship systems sector for Life Cycle Engineering and Support for the LPD 17 class of amphibious warfare ships.

______

04/19/2005 09:00:56 AM
StreetInsider Alert for SY

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Sybase, Inc (NYSE: SY) reports Q1 earnings of $0.22 per share, 1 cent better than estimates. Revenues came in at $191.9 million versus the consensus $190.5 million.


04/19/2005 09:00:45 AM
StreetInsider Alert for WPTE

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --WPT Enterprises, Inc. (Nasdaq: WPTE) said Steven Lipscomb, its President and CEO, has withdrawn his structured trading plan to sell shares of WPTE's common stock. Mr. Lipscomb previously had a Rule 10b5-1 trading plan in place that allowed for the sale of up to 450,000 shares of common stock through March of 2006.

______

04/19/2005 08:55:39 AM
StreetInsider Alert for IMMR

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Immersion Corporation (Nasdaq: IMMR) announced that Hip Interactive has entered into a patent license with Immersion, including rights for advanced vibro-tactile, spinning mass, gaming technologies.

Under the terms of the license, Hip Interactive's Hip Gear products featuring vibration feedback will now bear the Immersion Feel The Game TouchSense Technology logo. Hip Gear video game peripherals for consoles such as the Sony PlayStation and PlayStation 2, Microsoft Xbox, and Nintendo GameCube are available through leading North American retailers such as Blockbuster, EB Games, Target, Wal-Mart Canada, Zellers, and CompUSA.


04/19/2005 08:55:39 AM
StreetInsider Alert for ENMD

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --EntreMed, Inc. (Nasdaq: ENMD) announced the presentation of preclinical data for its Proteinase Activated Receptor Inhibitor program.

Data from the Company's preclinical studies indicate that its PAR-2 antagonists inhibit tumor growth and the formation of new blood vessels in animal models. PAR-2 antagonists also demonstrated inhibition of inflammation in preclinical rheumatoid arthritis and acute inflammation models. Antagonists of PAR-2 signaling demonstrate a potential relationship between the onset of inflammation and the regulation of tumor growth and angiogenesis.


04/19/2005 08:50:44 AM
StreetInsider Alert for HYC

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Hypercom Corporation (NYSE: HYC) announced that ICICI Bank, the second largest financial institution in India had purchased 5,000 T7Plus EMV-certified credit/debit card payment terminals. The terminals and associated software will be rolled out to retail merchants throughout the country over the next two months, equipping them with compact countertop units distinguished by their reliability, fast input functions and high-speed printing.


04/19/2005 08:50:32 AM
StreetInsider Alert for CYTR

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --CytRx Corporation (Nasdaq: CYTR) announced the completion of a meeting with representatives of the FDA prior to the submission of the Company's Investigational New Drug application for its lead small molecule drug candidate arimoclomol for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease).

______

04/19/2005 08:45:40 AM
StreetInsider Alert for TXU

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Credit Suisse First Boston initiated coverage on TXU Corporation (NYSE: TXU) with an Outperform rating; $93.00 price target.


04/19/2005 08:43:24 AM
StreetInsider Alert for BTU

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Peabody Energy Corp (NYSE: BTU) reports Q1 earnings of $0.39 per share, 8 cents better than estimates. Revenues came in at $1.08 billion versus the consensus of $990.8 million. Sees FY05 EPS of $2.50-$3.10 versus the consensus of $2.82


04/19/2005 08:40:50 AM
StreetInsider Alert for MGG

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --MGM Mirage (NYSE: MGG) reports Q1 earnings of $0.87 per share, 12 cents better than estimates. Revenues came in at $1.2 billion versus the consensus of $1.16 billion. Sees Q2 EPS of $0.70-$0.75 versus the consensus of $0.74.


04/19/2005 08:40:50 AM
StreetInsider Alert for AXJ

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --AXM Pharma, Inc. (AMEX: AXJ) announced that the Company has signed a $362,756 distribution agreement with Chengdu Xianhu Commercial Co. Ltd for Company's line of Whisper feminine hygiene products in the Sichuan territory and signed a $241,837 distribution agreement with Tianjin Jiashi Commercial Trade Co. Ltd for Company's line of Whisper feminine hygiene products in the Tianjin territory. The total of the two contracts is $604,593.


04/19/2005 08:40:49 AM
StreetInsider Alert for HTI

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Halozyme Therapeutics, Inc. (Amex: HTI) announced it has received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for Cumulase for the treatment of oocytes to facilitate certain in vitro fertilization (IVF) procedures. The active pharmaceutical ingredient in Cumulase is the first and only recombinant human hyaluronidase approved in the United States for cumulus removal in the IVF process.

______

04/19/2005 08:37:20 AM
StreetInsider Alert for CUB

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --The defense segment of Cubic Corporation (AMEX: CUB) has won a $16 million contract to provide additional Multiple Integrated Laser Engagement Systems, or MILES 2000, to U.S. Army troops at Fort Polk, La. The equipment will support training rotations at the Joint Readiness Training Center (JRTC) -- the U.S. Army's premier training center for light infantry and special operations units.


04/19/2005 08:37:19 AM
StreetInsider Alert for VICL

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Vical Incorporated (Nasdaq: VICL) announced that initial human testing of an investigational vaccine targeting West Nile virus (WNV) has begun at the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) Clinical Center in Bethesda, MD. The vaccine, based on Vical's proprietary DNA delivery technology, was co-developed at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases' (NIAID) Vaccine Research Center (VRC) and at Vical. Vical manufactured research and clinical supplies of the vaccine, and has an option to exclusive commercialization rights.


04/19/2005 08:37:18 AM
StreetInsider Alert for AMGN

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Legg Mason assumed coverage on Amgen Inc. (Nasdaq: AMGN) with a Buy rating; $68.00 price target. The firm as assuming coverage on the stock and sees AMGN's solid performance giving investors a safe haven.


04/19/2005 08:37:17 AM
StreetInsider Alert for UVN

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Legg Mason initiated coverage on Univision Communications Inc. (NYSE: UVN) with a Buy rating; $33.00 price target.


04/19/2005 08:35:49 AM
StreetInsider Alert for PAYX

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on Paychex, Inc. (Nasdaq: PAYX) with an Overweight rating; $38.00 price target. The firm based their rating on the company's position, which is #1, in the small business payroll servicing sector.


04/19/2005 08:35:48 AM
StreetInsider Alert for ASO

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --AmSouth Banc (NYSE: ASO) reports Q1 earnings of $0.50 per share, 2 cents better than estimates.


04/19/2005 08:35:28 AM
StreetInsider Alert for FCX

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Freeport-McMoRan (NYSE: FCX) reports Q1 earnings of $0.70 per share, 6 cents better than estimates. Rvenues came in at $803.1 million versus the consensus of $794.5 million.


04/19/2005 08:35:27 AM
StreetInsider Alert for SONS

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Credit Suisse First Boston upgraded Sonus Networks, Incorporated (Nasdaq: SONS) from Neutral to Outperform. In the firm's opinion SONS remains competitively well positioned in the carrier VoIP market, which remains one of the healthiest product segments within the communications infrastructure industry.


04/19/2005 08:35:27 AM
StreetInsider Alert for PRXL

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Jefferies Group downgraded Parexel International Corporation (Nasdaq: PRXL) from Hold to Underperform; target price decreased from $22.00 to $16.00. The firm expects the lack of visibility, rev growth, and further restructurings to pressure the stock. Bear Stearns downgraded the stock from Peer Perform to Underperform. The firm lowered their rating based on negative Q3 pre-announcement. They see a further decline in the shares likely when Parexel reports 3Q results. They mentioned that Parexel will also begin expensing stock options in FY1Q06.


04/19/2005 08:35:26 AM
StreetInsider Alert for CECE

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --CECO Environmental Corp. (Nasdaq: CECE) said it received $5.6 million in three new orders. One order is for a $3.4 million pollution control system for an Ethanol plant in Nebraska and another order is for a $1.0 million thermal oxidizer for an Ethanol manufacturer in Wisconsin. The third order is for a $1.23 million ventilation project for a foundry in the Southwestern, U.S.

______

04/19/2005 08:27:40 AM
StreetInsider Alert for ERJ

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Salomon Smith Barney upgraded Embraer Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica SA (NYSE: ERJ) from Sell to Hold; target price increased from $26.00 to $33.00. The firm based their upgrade on ERJ's valuation. In addition, the firm believes the following: 1) the mkt has a better understanding of potential risks; 2) US Airways' eventual disappearance should not occur with a "bang," but with a long, slow whimper; and 3) the stock's YTD underperformance makes this a decent entry point.


04/19/2005 08:25:48 AM
StreetInsider Alert for RBAK

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Redback Networks Inc. (Nasdaq: RBAK) announced that Germany's second largest fixed-line telecommunications carrier is evolving its consumer and business broadband network by adding next-generation Redback SmartEdge Service Gateway systems.


04/19/2005 08:25:47 AM
StreetInsider Alert for GLK

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --JP Morgan upgraded Great Lakes Chemical Corporation (NYSE: GLK) from Underweight to Neutral. The firm raised their rating based on valuation.


04/19/2005 08:25:47 AM
StreetInsider Alert for BRCM

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Broadcom Corporation (Nasdaq: BRCM) announced a strategic partnership to provide wireless technology for Nintendo's next generation gaming systems.


04/19/2005 08:25:46 AM
StreetInsider Alert for BDN

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --JP Morgan initiated coverage on Brandywine Realty Trust (NYSE: BDN) with an Overweight rating. The firm believes BDN's tight geographic focus allows it to be a "local sharpshooter" in its mkts.


04/19/2005 08:25:46 AM
StreetInsider Alert for ITW

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Illinois Tool Works Inc (NYSE: ITW) reports Q1 earnings of $1.06 per share, in-line with estimates. Revenues came in at $3.07 billion versus the consensus of $3.06 billion. Sees FY EPS of $5.06-$5.20 versus the consensus of $5.09

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04/19/2005 08:20:47 AM
StreetInsider Alert for XL

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Merrill Lynch upgraded XL Capital Ltd (NYSE: XL) fromk Neutral to Buy; $80.00 price target. The firm based their upgrade on valuation.


04/19/2005 08:20:46 AM
StreetInsider Alert for GNA

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Soleil Securities Corporation initiated coverage on Gerdau Ameristeel Corp (NYSE: GNA) with a Buy rating. The firm based their Buy rating on growth and valuation of the stock. Given a major acquisition completed late last year, they expect GNA to generate cost reductions of about $200 mln.


04/19/2005 08:20:46 AM
StreetInsider Alert for MEL

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Mellon Financial (NYSE: MEL) reports Q1 earnings of $0.72 per share, which may not comparable to the consensus of $0.44. Also raises its quarterly dividend to $0.20 from $0.18.


04/19/2005 08:20:45 AM
StreetInsider Alert for CHK

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Harris Nesbitt Gerard initiated coverage on Chesapeake Energy Corporation (NYSE: CHK) with an Outperform rating; $28.00 price target. The firm based their Neutral rating on valuation. They believe that CHK's focus and its model of creating predictable and repeatable growth through an aggressive "acquire and exploit" strategy affords investors attractively priced exposure to a unique natural gas-levered, long-lived reserve, and multi-year drilling inventory story among a crowded field of independents.


04/19/2005 08:20:37 AM
StreetInsider Alert for JNJ

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) reports Q1 earnings of $0.97 per share, 5 cents better than estimates. Revenues came in at $12.83 billion versus the consensus of $12.54 billion.


04/19/2005 08:15:50 AM
StreetInsider Alert for DRIV

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Digital River, Inc. (NASDAQ: DRIV) said its Board of Directors authorized a new share repurchase program of up to $50 million of its outstanding common shares.


04/19/2005 08:15:49 AM
StreetInsider Alert for IPG

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Credit Suisse First Boston initiated coverage on Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE: IPG) with an Outperform rating; $20.00 price target. The firm thinks the stock has likely bottomed, and management's turnaround goals are beatable.


04/19/2005 08:15:49 AM
StreetInsider Alert for WFC

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Wells Fargo (NYSE: WFC) reports Q1 earnings of $1.08 per share, which may not be comparable to the consensus of $1.09 billion. Revenues came in at $8.09 billion versus the consensus of $7.9 billion.


04/19/2005 08:15:48 AM
StreetInsider Alert for TER

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Wells Fargo downgraded Teradyne Incorporated (NYSE: TER) from Buy to Hold. The firm is downgrading Teradyne as they expect lower guidance on Wednesday. They noted that through their "channel work," they have heard that new orders remain weak.


04/19/2005 08:15:47 AM
StreetInsider Alert for GNTA

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Genta Incorporated (Nasdaq: GNTA) said preclinical data have shown that Genasense, the Company's lead anticancer drug, may enhance the anti-tumor activity of gefitinib (Iressa(R); AstraZeneca PLC (NYSE: AZN) in non-small cell lung cancer. Gefitinib has been recently approved for clinical treatment of patients with advanced NSCLC. Data shows similar activity with OSI's (Nasdaq: OSIP) Tarceva and Eli Lilly'S (NYSE: LLY) Alimt.


04/19/2005 08:15:47 AM
StreetInsider Alert for PBY

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --RBC Capital Markets initiated coverage on Pep Boys--Manny, Moe & Jack (NYSE: PBY) with an Outperform rating; $22.00 price target. The firm expects significant long term benefits from the company's turnaround strategy.


04/19/2005 08:15:45 AM
StreetInsider Alert for TU

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --RBC Capital Markets downgraded Telus Corporation (NYSE: TU) from Top Pick to Outperform. The firm downgrade the stock given TU's announcement that it intends to implement certain lockout measures if a new collective agreement is not reached before April 25. They believe that while a work stoppage is not being considered at present, mgmt is focused on achieving a settlement and is likely to continue bringing pressure to bear until an agreement is reached.


04/19/2005 08:10:40 AM
StreetInsider Alert for CNP

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Credit Suisse First Boston initiated coverage on CenterPoint Energy, Inc. (NYSE: CNP) with a Neutral rating; $13.00 price target. The firm's rating is based on valuation and litigation overhang.


04/19/2005 08:10:39 AM
StreetInsider Alert for OMC

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Credit Suisse First Boston initiated coverage on Omnicom Group Inc (NYSE: OMC) with an Outperform rating; $101.00 price target. In the firm's opinion, the mkt is discounting OMC's relative lack of operational leverage despite its ability to grow profit double over the next 2 years, which is a far superior media growth rate.


04/19/2005 08:10:39 AM
StreetInsider Alert for NRG

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Credit Suisse First Boston initiated coverage on NRG Energy Inc (NYSE: NRG) with an Outperform rating; $39.00 price target. The firm believes that the recent pull back in NRG's stock to $32 presents an attractive risk, and NRG offers investors the benefits of differentiated financial growth, improving earnings, and improved balance sheet.

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04/19/2005 08:02:28 AM
StreetInsider Alert for CEGE

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Cell Genesys, Inc. (Nasdaq: CEGE) reports potential breakthrough in antibody production technology. Today the company's scientists reported today the development of a proprietary gene expression technology that enables the production of full-length monoclonal antibodies at commercially relevant levels from a single production cell line. Moreover, the time required to develop cell lines that can be used for commercial production can be significantly shortened from months to weeks.


04/19/2005 08:02:28 AM
StreetInsider Alert for APD

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Soleil upgrades Air Products & Chemicals (NYSE: APD) from Hold to Buy on recent dip in stock price.


04/19/2005 08:02:27 AM
StreetInsider Alert for JRCC

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --James River Coal Company (Nasdaq: JRCC) filed a registration statement with the SEC relating to proposed concurrent underwritten public offerings of its common stock and senior notes. A total of 4,200,000 shares of common stock will be offered, of which 1,448,348 shares will be offered by the Company and 2,751,652 shares will be offered by two funds affiliated with Carl Marks Management Company, L.P. The Company concurrently will offer $135 million aggregate principal amount of its Senior Notes due 2015. Neither offering will be conditioned on the other.


04/19/2005 08:02:26 AM
StreetInsider Alert for PRXL

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Bear Stearns downgrades PAREXEL Int'l (Nasdaq: PRXL) from Peer Perform to Underperform after Q3 earnings warning.


04/19/2005 08:02:26 AM
StreetInsider Alert for DUSA

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Jefferies initiates coverage on DUSA Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: DUSA) with a 'buy' rating and $13 price target. The analyst says DUSA is a unique sm-cap company with 100%+ top line growth prospects, expanding gross margins, and strong R&D pipeline.


04/19/2005 08:02:25 AM
StreetInsider Alert for BOBJ

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --J.P. Morgan adds Business Objects (Nasdaq: BOBJ) to the European Focus List, citing positive sales and earnings growth through 2006.


04/19/2005 08:02:24 AM
StreetInsider Alert for TER

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Wells Fargo downgrades Teradyne (NYSE: TER) from Buy to Hold on lowered earnings outlook.


04/19/2005 08:02:14 AM
StreetInsider Alert for CDWC

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --CDW Corp (Nasdaq: CDWC) reports Q1 earnings of $0.72 per share, 1 cent better than estimates. Revenues came in at $1.48 billion versus the consensus of $1.47 billion.


04/19/2005 08:02:13 AM
StreetInsider Alert for JNJ

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) announced a definitive agreement under which Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical, Inc., a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, would acquire Peninsula Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a privately held biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing antibiotics to treat life-threatening infections.

The cash-for-stock transaction is valued at approximately $245 million and is expected to close in the second quarter. Upon closing, Johnson & Johnson expects to incur a one-time after-tax charge of approximately $0.08 per share, as substantially all of the purchase price will be expensed as in-process research and development.


04/19/2005 08:02:02 AM
StreetInsider Alert for BUCY

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Lehman Bros. upgrades Bucyrus Int'l (Nasdaq: BUCY) from Underweight to Equalweight on strong demand-Price target $44.


04/19/2005 08:01:51 AM
StreetInsider Alert for GPRO

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Gen-Probe's (Nasdaq: GPRO) prototype urine test for PCA3 gene expression may help improve the diagnosis of prostate cancer, according to three early-stage studies presented as posters at the American Association for Clinical Chemistry's 37th Annual Oak Ridge Conference and the Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research.


04/19/2005 08:01:40 AM
StreetInsider Alert for ORPH

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Privately held Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Inc. agreed to acquire Orphan Medical, Inc. (Nasdaq: ORPH) for $10.75 per share in cash.


04/19/2005 08:01:40 AM
StreetInsider Alert for AMED

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Legg Mason upgrades Amedisys (Nasdaq: AMED) from Hold to Buy on positive outlook-Price target $36.


04/19/2005 08:01:36 AM
StreetInsider Alert for TKR

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Timken (NYSE: TKR) reports Q1 earnings of $0.64 per share, 4 cents better than estimates. Sees Q2 EPS of $0.55-$0.60 versus the consensus of $0.55 and FY05 EPS of $2.05-$2.20 versus the consensus of $2.15.


04/19/2005 08:01:35 AM
StreetInsider Alert for PSRC

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Stanford upgrades PalmSource (Nasdaq: PSRC) from Hold to Buy based on attractive risk/reward.

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04/19/2005 08:01:30 AM
StreetInsider Alert for SVU

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --SuperValu (NYSE: SVU) reports Q4 earnings of $0.65 per share, 2 cents better than estimates. Q4 revenues were $4.6 billion, lower than analysts estimates of $4.75 billion. SVU guides lower for full-year 2006 earnings.


04/19/2005 08:01:29 AM
StreetInsider Alert for MAGS

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Magal Security Systems Ltd. (Nasdaq: MAGS) completed its previously announced registered direct offering of 1,700,000 ordinary shares. The ordinary shares were sold to unaffiliated institutional investors at a purchase price of $9.50 per share and to affiliated investors at a purchase price of $9.92 per share (the closing price of the ordinary shares on the Nasdaq National Market on April 14, 2005) for aggregate gross proceeds of approximately $16.3 million.


04/19/2005 08:01:29 AM
StreetInsider Alert for MAN

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Manpower (NYSE: MAN) reports Q1 earnings of $0.35 per share, 1 cent worse than estimates. Q1 revenues were $3.76 billion, lower than analysts estimates of $3.81 billion. MAN reaffirms Q2 earnings outlook.


04/19/2005 08:01:21 AM
StreetInsider Alert for ACTG

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Acacia Research Corporation (Nasdaq: ACTG) (Nasdaq: CBMX) filed a patent infringement lawsuit in the District Court for the Central District of California against Intel Corporation (Nasdaq: INTC) and Texas Instruments Corporation (NYSE: TXN). The lawsuit alleges patent infringement by Intel's Itanium line of microprocessors, and certain series of digital signal processors sold by Texas Instruments.


04/19/2005 08:01:21 AM
StreetInsider Alert for LOGI

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Logitech Int'l (Nasdaq: LOGI) reports Q4 earnings of $0.83 per share, 1 cent better than estimates. Q4 revenues were $402.6 million, higher than analysts estimates of $381.35 million.


04/19/2005 08:01:20 AM
StreetInsider Alert for AAP

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Robert W. Baird upgrades Advance Auto Parts (NYSE: AAP) from 'neutral' to 'outperform' and raises its price target from $58 to $62.


04/19/2005 08:01:19 AM
StreetInsider Alert for HYDL

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --First Albany upgrades Hydril Corp (Nasdaq: HYDL) from 'neutral' to 'buy' with a $60 price target, citing valuation.


04/19/2005 08:01:18 AM
StreetInsider Alert for JCI

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Johnson Controls (NYSE: JCI) reports Q2 earnings of $0.85 per share, 1 cent better than estimates. Q2 revenues were $7.1 billion, higher than analysts estimates of $7.07 billion.


04/19/2005 08:01:18 AM
StreetInsider Alert for EMC

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --EMC Corp (NYSE: EMC) reports Q1 earnings of $0.11 per share, in-line with estimates. Q1 revenues were $2.24 billion, in-line with estimates. EMC reaffirms Q2 and full-year earnings outlook.


04/19/2005 08:01:12 AM
StreetInsider Alert for ACTL

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Banc of America upgrades Actel (Nasdaq: ACTL) from 'sell' to 'neutral' with a $16 target, citing valuation.


04/19/2005 08:01:11 AM
StreetInsider Alert for ICUI

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Soleil upgrades ICU Medical ((Nasdaq: ICUI) from 'hold' to 'buy' following Q1 report.


04/19/2005 08:01:09 AM
StreetInsider Alert for LU

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Lucent Technologies (NYSE: LU) reports Q2 earnings of $0.06 per share, 2 cents better than estimates. Q2 revenues were $2.34 billion, higher than analysts estimates of $2.31 billion.


04/19/2005 08:01:08 AM
StreetInsider Alert for BIOI

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Bio Rad Laboratories Inc. (AMEX: BIO) disclosed a 6.8% ownership of BioSource International Inc. (Nasdaq: BIOI). On April 6th, Bio Rad offered to acquier BioSource's for $8.50 per share, an offer that was later rejected.


04/19/2005 08:01:07 AM
StreetInsider Alert for ASD

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --American Standard (NYSE: ASD) reports Q1 earnings of $0.47 per share, 1 cent better than estimates. Q1 revenues were $2.34 billion, in-line with estimates. ASD reaffirms Q2 and full-year earnings outlook.


04/19/2005 08:00:58 AM
StreetInsider Alert for PFE

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Pfizer (NYSE: PFE) reports Q1 earnings of $0.54 per share, 1 cent better than estimates. Q1 revenues were $13.09 billion, higher than analysts estimates of $12.53 billion.

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04/19/2005 08:00:57 AM
StreetInsider Alert for RSH

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --RadioShack (NYSE: RSH) reports Q1 earnings of $0.34 per share, 2 cents better than estimates. Q1 revenues were $1.12 billion, in-line with estimates. RSH sees full-year 2005 earnings between $1.80-1.90, lower than analysts estimates of $2.13.


04/19/2005 08:00:57 AM
StreetInsider Alert for VIAB

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Viacom B (NYSE: VIAb) reports Q1 earnings of $0.36 per share, 5 cents better than estimates. Q1 revenues were $5.59 billion, higher than analysts estimates of $5.42 billion.


04/19/2005 08:00:56 AM
StreetInsider Alert for NMSS

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --First Albany upgrades NMS Communications (Nasdaq: NMSS) from Buy to Strong Buy after Q1 earnings results.


04/19/2005 08:00:52 AM
StreetInsider Alert for CPO

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Corn Products (NYSE: CPO) reports Q1 earnings of $0.22 per share, in-line with estimates. Q1 revenues were $566.5 million, lower than analysts estimates of $578.8 million. CPO Guides in-line with full-year earnings outlook.


04/19/2005 08:00:51 AM
StreetInsider Alert for NVLS

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Piper Jaffray upgrades Novellus (Nasdaq: NVLS) from Underperform to Market Perform afte positive earnings results-Price target $30.


04/19/2005 08:00:50 AM
StreetInsider Alert for MDC

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --MDC Holdings (NYSE: MDC) reports Q1 earnings of $1.86 per share, 8 cents better than estimates. Q1 revenues were $933.9 million, higher than analysts estimates of $898.06 million.


04/19/2005 08:00:50 AM
StreetInsider Alert for VRNT

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --UBS Securities upgrades Verint Systems (Nasdaq: VRNT) from Reduce to Neutral, telling clients recent dip in stock price presents a good entry point.


04/19/2005 08:00:49 AM
StreetInsider Alert for TASR

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Taser Int'l (Nasdaq: TASR) reported Q1 revenues of $10.2 million, higher than analysts estimates of $10.08 million.


04/19/2005 08:00:48 AM
StreetInsider Alert for ADBE

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Deutsche Bank upgrades Adobe Systems (Nasdaq: ADBE) from Hold to Buy after acquisition announcement.


04/19/2005 08:00:47 AM
StreetInsider Alert for DHI

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --D.R. Horton (NYSE: DHI) reports Q2 earnings of $0.92 per share, 12 cents better than estimates. Q2 revenues were $2.83 billion, higher than analysts estimates of $2.82 billion. DHI reaffirms Q3 earnings and guides higher for full-year outlook.


04/19/2005 08:00:46 AM
StreetInsider Alert for ACO

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --AMCOL Int'l (NYSE: ACO) reports Q1 earnings of $0.23 per share, 5 cents better than estimates. Q1 revenues were $122.1 million, higher than analysts estimates of $112.66 million.


04/19/2005 08:00:45 AM
StreetInsider Alert for KO

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO) reports Q1 earnings of $0.47 per share, 4 cents better than estimates. Q1 revenues were $5.27 billion, higher than analysts estimates of $5.17 billion. The Company announces $2 billion stock buyback.


04/19/2005 08:00:35 AM
StreetInsider Alert for NCC

Apr 19, 2005 (streetinsider.com via COMTEX) --National City Corp (NYSE: NCC) reports Q1 earnings of $0.74 per share, 5 cents better than estimates.

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Chart of the Day - The Effect of a high PPI on the Market:

Today, the US Labor Department reported that the producer-price index (PPI) for finished goods rose 0.7% in March. The PPI is now 4.92% higher than it was one year ago and significantly higher than the current 4.20% yield of the 10-year Treasury note. While there have been some reports that are predicting a slow down in global economic growth, today's chart illustrates that producer prices continue to rise at an above average pace and that has tended to correlate with a struggling stock market. Stay tuned...

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According to BCA Defensive stocks will be favored until the FED signals that further rate hikes are on the back burner:

http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?message_id=6100480

RtS

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Amateur Investors Weekend Stock Market Analysis (4/23/05)

The last three trading days of the week were very volatile to say the least as a 30 minute daily chart of the Nasdaq is shown below. The Nasdaq was down around 30 points on Wednesday, then rallied 50 points on Thursday, which was then followed by a 30 point drop on Friday. On a very short term basis it appears the Nasdaq needs to hold support around 1920 which is along its newly developed upward sloping trend line (black line) from the Monday low.



On a larger timeframe if the Nasdaq fails to hold support near 1900 then its next major support level would come into play around 1855 (point A) which corresponds to its 76.4% Retracement Level (calculated from the August low to the early January high). Meanwhile if the Nasdaq continues its choppy oversold bounce higher look for upside resistance at its 50% Retracement Level near 1970 or around 2000 which corresponds to its 50 Day and 200 Day EMA's



The Dow which found support at its 76.4% Retracement Level near 10000 (calculated from the October low to the early March high) has encountered some resistance at its 61.8% Retracement Level near 10200. If the Dow can break solidly above 10200 then its next level of upside resistance would be in the 10350 (50% Retracement Level) to 10420 (200 Day EMA) range. Meanwhile if the Dow fails to hold support around 10000 and eventually continues lower then its next area of support would be at the August low near 9700 (point B).



The S&P 500 has been trying to hold support near 1140 (point C) but encountered resistance on Friday at its 200 Day EMA (green line) near 1160. If the S&P 500 can break above its 200 Day EMA and 38.2% Retracement Level near 1163 (calculated from the August low to the early March high) then its next area of upside resistance would be at its 50 Day EMA (blue line) near 1180. Meanwhile if the S&P 500 breaks below 1140 then its next support area would be at its 61.8% Retracement Level near 1125 (point D).



This week I thought I would focus on the Bullish-Bearish Indicator which tracks the % of Investment Advisors that are either Bullish or Bearish about the future prospects of the market. In the past when the % of Bearish Advisors has become greater than the % of Bullish Advisors this has usually signaled a bottom is nearing. In the chart below when the % of Bearish Advisors has become much greater than the % of Bullish Advisors the solid red line drops well below zero (points E). As you can see since 1997 it has been a rare occurrence when the % of Bearish Advisors exceeds the % of Bullish Advisors. However when it does occur this has been followed by a substantial rally in the market (points F to G). The last time the % of Bearish Advisors was far greater than the % of Bullish Advisors was in the Fall of 2002 which was then followed by a long term rally (points H to I) that continued into the early part of 2004. Right now the % difference between the Bullish Advisors and Bearish Advisors is around 20% and favors the Bullish Advisors although the gap between the two has been decreasing since the early part of the year.

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Booms and Busts in Chipland

http://yahoo.businessweek.com/investor/content/apr2005/pi20050425_4378_pi044.htm

S&P sees chip sales peaking this year, before a possible decline in 2006. Still, it recommends a pair of chipmakers for the long run

Semiconductors have historically been a highly cyclical growth industry. Although no two chip cycles have been exactly alike, a classic four-year cycle has two years of strong growth, near 20% annually, one down or flat year, and one slow-growth year. The timing of booms and busts is influenced by both fluctuations in demand and changes in the general pace of economic growth.

Meanwhile, supply is affected by a tendency to stop building semiconductor factories, or "fabs," during a downturn -- as overcapacity hurts chip pricing -- and to build a lot of fabs when an upturn begins -- as undercapacity evolves and prices begin to improve. It takes two years to build a fab, thus creating the two fat years of the upturn, when demand exceeds supply and average prices for chips remain strong until the new generation of fabs is turned on.

We at Standard & Poor's Equity Research believe that the peak year for global chip sales in the last cycle was in 2000, when sales hit $204.4 billion. The upswing that ended in 2000 was unusually strong, driven, in part, by strong pricing for communications chips used in building the infrastructure for the Internet, in our opinion. The cycle bottom in the second half of 2001 represented an unusually deep decline in revenues and capacity utilization, which we think set the stage for a long, slow recovery.

CONSUMER WORRIES. In 2004 semiconductor revenues rose 28%, to $213 billion, surpassing the level reached in 2000. We believe sales will continue to grow this year, although at a much slower pace. We estimate sales will climb 5% in 2005, to roughly $224 billion, before possibly declining in 2006. Growth should slow this year because of the lingering impact of the recent midcycle inventory correction that began in the second half of 2004, in our view. Slower expansion of the economy in general, as well as for the major electronics end markets, will also cut back semiconductor growth this year, we believe.

In addition, we see a risk of dampening consumer spending in 2005 as a result of relatively high energy prices, slow job growth, and rising interest rates. More than half of all the chips sold worldwide each year end up in consumer products, according to the Semiconductor Industry Assn. (SIA). Consumers now spend about 30% of their discretionary income on electronics, most of which contain large amounts of semiconductors. Therefore, slower growth in consumer incomes and spending could have an impact on demand for chips, we believe.

Despite the industry's cycles, underlying demand for semiconductors tends to be persistent and strong, in our opinion, as modern society continues to find new uses for ever-smaller and more powerful chips. Industry sales rose at a 16% compound annual growth rate from 1975 to 2000, according to the SIA.

SUNNINESS IN CHECK. The trade group maintains that the industry's large size makes it unlikely that growth rates in the mid-teens will be sustainable over the long term. The SIA expects the semiconductor industry to grow more in line with its major markets (PCs, handsets) -- in the 8% to 10% range annually.

Although this projected rate is less than those in the semiconductor industry's heyday, we believe it would still be considered high compared with the pace of growth for most large industries. Since late 2002, the SIA forecasts have been made with this assumed long-term "speed limit" on growth in mind, partly, we believe, to respond to criticism that its past forecasts have been too optimistic.

We think that quality chip companies with high-end products, diversified end markets, and financial flexibility will outperform in this market environment. We have 5-STARS, or strong buy opinions, on Linear Technology (LLTC ; recent price: $36) and Maxim Integrated Products (MXIM ; $38), two high-end analog chip outfits that we believe have excellent prospects for long-term growth and the resources and management knowhow to remain profitable through the most difficult market environments.

BIG UPS AND DOWNS. A word of warning to the unwary investor: Chip stocks tend to be extremely volatile. Share prices for semiconductor companies typically move sharply in anticipation of upturns and downturns. As investors monitor the industry's vital signs for changes in the pace or direction of growth, we believe their reactions to news often contribute to short-term volatility in the share prices.

Many chipmakers often trade at high valuation levels compared with the overall market, which we also think contributes to price volatility. We have observed many days when share prices of all of the semiconductor stocks that we cover moved by several percentage points, and we saw at least one day where all the issues moved at least 10% (based, in our opinion, on a major change in Federal Reserve policy). In short, a chipmaker's price movements can be sudden and dramatic.

Required DisclosuresIn the U.S. As of Mar. 31, 2005, research analysts at Standard & Poor's Equity Research Services U.S. have recommended 30.8% of issuers with buy recommendations, 56.7% with hold recommendations, and 12.5% with sell recommendations. In Europe As of Mar. 31, 2005, research analysts at Standard & Poor's Equity Research Services Europe have recommended 29.2% of issuers with buy recommendations, 50.5% with hold recommendations, and 20.3% with sell recommendations. In Asia As of Mar. 31, 2005, research analysts at Standard & Poor's Equity Research Services Asia have recommended 34.3% of issuers with buy recommendations, 48.0% with hold recommendations, and 17.7% with sell recommendations. Globally As of Mar. 31, 2005, research analysts at Standard & Poor's Equity Research Services globally have recommended 31.0% of issuers with buy recommendations, 55.2% with hold recommendations, and 13.8% with sell recommendations.



5-STARS (Strong Buy): Total return is expected to outperform the total return of a relevant benchmark by a wide margin over the coming 12 months, with shares rising in price on an absolute basis. 4-STARS (Buy): Total return is expected to outperform the total return of a relevant benchmark over the coming 12 months, with shares rising in price on an absolute basis. 3-STARS (Hold): Total return is expected to closely approximate the total return of a relevant benchmark over the coming 12 months, with shares generally rising in price on an absolute basis. 2-STARS (Sell): Total return is expected to underperform the total return of a relevant benchmark over the coming 12 months, and the share price is not anticipated to show a gain. 1-STARS (Strong Sell): Total return is expected to underperform the total return of a relevant benchmark by a wide margin over the coming 12 months, with shares falling in price on an absolute basis.

Relevant benchmarks: in the U.S. the relevant benchmark is the S&P 500 Index, in Europe the S&P Europe 350 Index, and in Asia the S&P Asia 50 Index.

For All Regions: All of the views expressed in this research report accurately reflect the research analyst's personal views regarding any and all of the subject securities or issuers. No part of analyst compensation was, is, or will be, directly or indirectly, related to the specific recommendations or views expressed in this research report.

Additional information is available upon request.

Other Disclosures This report has been prepared and issued by Standard & Poor's and/or one of its affiliates. In the United States, research reports are prepared by Standard & Poor's Investment Advisory Services LLC ("SPIAS"). In the United States, research reports are issued by Standard & Poor's ("S&P"), in the United Kingdom by Standard & Poor's LLC ("S&P LLC"), which is authorized and regulated by the Financial Services Authority; in Hong Kong by Standard & Poor's LLC, which is regulated by the Hong Kong Securities Futures Commission, in Singapore by Standard & Poor's LLC, which is regulated by the Monetary Authority of Singapore; in Japan by Standard & Poor's LLC, which is regulated by the Kanto Financial Bureau; and in Sweden by Standard & Poor's AB ("S&P AB").

The research and analytical services performed by SPIAS, S&P LLC, and S&P AB are each conducted separately from any other analytical activity of Standard & Poor's.

S&P and/or one of its affiliates has performed services for and received compensation from LLTC during the past 12 months.

MXIM is not a customer of S&P or its affiliates.

DisclaimersThis material is based upon information that we consider to be reliable, but neither S&P nor its affiliates warrant its completeness, accuracy, or adequacy and it should not be relied upon as such. With respect to reports issued by S&P LLC-Japan and in the case of inconsistencies between the English and Japanese version of a report, the English version prevails. Neither S&P LLC nor S&P guarantees the accuracy of the translation. Assumptions, opinions, and estimates constitute our judgment as of the date of this material and are subject to change without notice. Neither S&P nor its affiliates are responsible for any errors or omissions or for results obtained from the use of this information. Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results.

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MORNING WATCH, Apr. 26
By Frederic Ruffy, Optionetics.com
4/26/2005 6:00 AM EST

http://optionetics.com/articles/article_full.asp?idNo=12316

Stocks are set to open to the downside on concern about corporate earnings and ahead of a report on consumer confidence due out later today. Approximately forty-five minutes before the start of trading in New York, stock index futures indicated that the Dow Jones Industrial Average ($INDU) might lose thirty to forty points and the Nasdaq ($COMPQ) might drop four or five.

Tech stocks might fall early Tuesday. Shares of Lexmark International (LXK) tumbled after the computer company posted profits of 99 cents a share, compared to analyst estimates of $1.03. The stock was recently trading down $6.75 to $72.05 a share.

In addition, chip stocks slipped in overseas trading after Germany’s Infineon Technologies reported a larger than expected loss during the second quarter. In addition, the company sees “no major improvement,” according to reports out early Tuesday. Dutch chip equipment maker ASM International (ASMI) also posted disappointing results Tuesday morning.

In other corporate news Tuesday, American Express (AXP) is due to report earnings during today’s trading sessions. Analysts expect the financial services giant to post profits of 75 cents a share. US Steel (X) might show strength after posting profits of $3.01 a share and well ahead of analyst estimates of $2.31. Genentech (DNA) is heading higher following positive results from the company’s Herceptin cancer treatment. However, Silicon Labs (SLAB) is set to open sharply lower after the company warned on fourth quarter earnings and announced that the company’s president and chief executive has resigned.

On the economic front, crude oil prices are trading down, but that does not appear to be helping the market early Tuesday. Crude oil was recently down 52 cents to $54.05. However, the move failed to lift stock index futures, as investors seem more focused on the day’s earnings news.

In addition, investors are awaiting two economic reports due out later this morning. The Commerce Department reports March new home sales data at 10 a.m. ET. Economists expect a decline of approximately 3% to an annual rate of 1,192,000 units. The Conference Board is due to release its consumer confidence report for April at the same time. Economists expect the report to show a third straight decline to 98 from 102.4 the month before.


Frederic Ruffy
Senior Writer
Optionetics.com ~ Your Options Education Site